Shattered Glass
by LivForAPurpose
Summary: Life is pretty great for the lab rats. Except that Dr. Gao has escaped, Leo is captured, and Sebastian is back. Watch as the family lives their lives, as pieces of shattered glass.
1. Chapter 1

Leo's P.O.V.

It's been a few weeks since Adam and I left Bree and Chase at Mission Creek. I miss them, but I know they are going to have adventures just like Adam and I. I think it will be okay. Even though we aren't together anymore, we are still the best team there ever was, or ever will be. We are best friends, all of us. Even if we get on each others nerves sometimes, we still love each other. Not too much has happened since we left Mission Creek; the team making is going very smoothly. Taylor was the first one to sign up for my team. She is super excited about being able to go on missions again. I am too. Adam has a team as well. They are currently in the Atlantic Ocean trying to stop ocean polluters. Douglass is still splitting all of us up at the academy. We currently have 10 teams in training so they can get adjusted to working together. Surprisingly, Adam's team did really well at working together and only had to train a few days before going off on their first mission. Adam is a good team leader. He's better than any of us would have thought.

My team is doing really well too. We are on the south end of the island, checking to make sure the island is secure. Logan is by the hydrogen tank, checking for leaks, and Taylor is at the hydro loop, making sure everything there is working well. I'm at the shore, making sure there are no mysterious ships floating around. Security has been tighter since Dr. Gao escaped from prison. We haven't been able to find him yet, and we don't know when he'll attack. But we know it's coming. I am not too worried about it. The students are now fully trained and capable of successfully completing any mission; including beating Gao. I walk along the shore. The water comes close to my feet but doesn't touch them. There's a starfish washed up on the sand, so I pick it up and throw it back in the water. "Good luck, starfish!" I call, "Don't get stuck in the sand next time. You might not be so lucky next time!"

"Yeah," says a low, harsh voice from behind me, "You might not get back home."

I turn around quickly and face the man. "Who are you? How did you get here?" I ask.

He doesn't reply. He only laughs and pulls out a gun. I gasp and scream, but his hand clamps over my mouth. I struggle, but in a second or two, I see only black. The last sound I heard was the trigger being pulled, and the whiz of the bullet, and then pain in my neck. I felt my body being lifted up and moved from where I lay. With that, my body falls into the comfort of darkness and sleep.

Bree's P.O.V.

I am really bored. Mr. Davenport hasn't told Chase and me what our new mission is going to be yet, so as of now we are stuck here at Mission Creek, being bored like a couple of jobless, friendless teenagers. I guess that's because we are jobless, friendless teenagers. Chase is out lecturing the pretzel carts at the mall about the high amounts of sodium in their pretzels. Ha, same old Chase. I'm at home with Tasha. We are looking at lists of baby names. It was fun at first, but after about 200 names, I got tired of it. She wants me to look through and cross out all of the names I don't like since the baby is a sister just for me. It's taking forever and I'm bored. I want to go out and have fun, but I don't want to hurt Tasha's feelings. She thought this would be a good bonding experience for us. She's making lunch right now and I'm sitting on the couch with all of her lists. Mr. Davenport suddenly bursts through the door and walks quickly to the elevator. "Donald! What's the matter?" Asked Tasha, following him.

"Oh, it's nothing, dear. I'm onto something for a new invention, that's all," he replied.

I could tell he wasn't telling the truth, but I didn't want to put in the effort to see what he was really doing. I decided to call Chase to see if he wanted to have lunch with us. I don't really have anyone to talk to here but him. Tasha usually would be good to talk to, but all she wants to talk about right now is the baby. Mr. Davenport and I were never too close. We just don't do a lot together, though I know he loves me. I don't have any friends here anymore. They are all either at a college or working.

Chase, as annoying as he is, is sometimes good to talk to. As long as I tell him that I don't want to talk about intellectual things, he is pretty good at having conversations with me. The phone rings three times before he picks up. "Bree! What do you want? I was in the middle of telling this man how ludicrous it is to put so much saturated fat in the fries." he complains.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your little rant. I just wanted to ask you if you want to come home and eat lunch with Tasha and me. I'm really bored here with these baby names. I need some non-pregnant company." I whine.

"Okay, I understand," He says with a laugh, "I'll be there right after I finish educating this ignoramus. Just hold down the fort until I get there, okay?"

I smile and laugh, "See, this is why you're my favorite, Chase."

"I know." he replies confidently.

"I'll see you at home, you doofus," I say with a laugh.

"Right back at ya, imbecile." he replies.

Almost immediately after we hang up, the doorbell rings. "Bree, could you answer the door? I have to keep stirring this gravy." Says Tasha from the stove.

"Sure!" I say reluctantly as I get up from the couch.

I open the door and Leo walks in.


	2. Chapter 2

Previously...

 _Almost immediately after we hang up, the doorbell rings. "Bree, could you answer the door? I have to keep stirring this gravy." Says Tasha from the stove._

 _"Sure!" I say reluctantly as I get up from the couch._

 _I open the door and Leo walks in._

 _..._

"Hey, Bree! How have you been? It's been so long since I've seen you! How's mom and the baby?" he rambles.

"We're all good, Leo. Why are you here?" I ask the ebullient boy.

"Oh, well, I know it's your birthday soon and since I won't be able to be there, I thought I'd give you your present now." he explains.

"Oh okay. Well, I'm just about to have lunch with Chase and Tasha if you want to join us." I say, letting him in the house.

He only comes in a few steps. He doesn't plop down on the couch like usual. This is strange. Why is he acting like this isn't his home? He hands me a box and I open it. It's a charm bracelet with charms already attached. "Oh, Leo! It's beautiful! Why did you get me such a nice present? It's not even my birthday for another week." I exclaim.

"Well, er, it's your twentieth birthday, so it's special. You need a special present for such a special birthday," he explains, looking to the left a bit.

"That's so nice of you!" says Tasha from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Leo," I say, giving my brother a hug.

"That's not all. Wait until you see what comes with it," he says, taking the bracelet and holding up a key charm, "See this key? It opens up your big surprise."

"Wow, really? This is too much, Leo." I say incredulously.

"So let's go see the surprise! Come on, Bree!" He exclaims.

"I want to eat first. I made Chase stop his health rant to come here and eat with me. If I ditch him he'll be mad. Let's wait and eat first." I say, taking his arm and pulling him towards the kitchen.

He frowns and stops walking with me. "No, Bree. I don't have time to eat with you guys. I'll come back in an hour. You'll be ready then, right?" He asks.

This behavior from him is very strange. He doesn't usually act so reserved, and he _never_ turns down food. "I guess I can be ready then. Can you give me a hint as to where we're going?" I say, trying to keep the suspicion from my voice.

"It's a surprise, Bree! You can't have any hints," he says, walking toward the door.

He opens the door to leave and Chase comes in. "Hey, Leo! How's it going?" he asks him.

"Um, I'm fine. I have to go," he replies before rushing out the door.

Chase turns to look at me as he shuts the door behind him. "Well that was odd," he says, walking into the living room and sitting on the couch.

I sit down beside him, pulling my legs up under me. "Yeah, he acted strangely the whole time he was here. I didn't think too much of it. He is a strange little person." I say casually.

"So what did he have to say? How are Adam and Douglas?" asks Chase.

"He didn't actually talk about them. He did give me a birthday present, though; look! Isn't it beautiful?" I say, holding up my arm to show him the bracelet.

"Very nice. Now I'll have to go get you a better one to compete," he says with a smirk.

I laugh, "Oh, Chase, you don't have to worry about competing with Leo. I'm sure I'll love your present as well. Oh! See the key charm? Leo said that it unlocks the special surprise that he'll show me later. I'm hoping it's a car." I say excitedly.

"Really? He gave you a beautiful bracelet and another surprise? What is that boy up to?" he laughs.

"Bree, Chase, lunch is ready. Do one of you want to go downstairs and ask your father if he wants to join us?" says Tasha, coming into the living room area.

I look at Chase and we have a silent argument over who goes down to get Mr. Davenport. Finally, he gives in, as he always does, "I'll go down and ask him. You can stay with Tasha." he says snarkily.

He pretends to be mad and 'mopes' down the hallway. Tasha totally believes that his feelings are hurt and scolds me. "Bree, can't you ever let Chase win? He's so nice to you and you just give him pain."

I put on my best guilty face and turn to look at a smirking Chase, standing in the hall. "I'm sorry, Tasha. I'll try to be nicer to my sweet baby brother-who-isn't-really-my-brother-but-more-of-a-best-friend. But look at him; he's enjoying this!" I say, pointing to him.

Just then he puts on his sad face and looks at the floor. Tasha looks at me and then back at him. Just in time to see him stick his tongue out at me. Her jaw drops as she shouts, "Chase Davenport, I am appalled at you! Why are you acting like such a child?"

"Goodness, Tasha, I'm just messing with her. We don't actually hate each other, you know." He says, walking back into the living room.

"Yeah, we like messing around sometimes. It's fun to make people think that we don't get along when in reality, we're each other's favorites. Right, Chase? I'm your favorite, aren't I?" I ask playfully.

Tasha raises her eyebrows and walks into the kitchen, shaking her head. "Well, Chase?" I ask again, my eyebrows raised in anticipation.

"Sure, Bree, you're my favorite." he replies, rolling his eyes.

"That doesn't sound very convincing," I say, frowning to mess with him.

"Well, I really don't believe in having favorites, but if you mean who can I relate to the best? Who do I get along with the most? That would be you. I didn't like Leo at first, and he's grown on me, but we still don't have that much in common. Adam and I are brothers, you know, but he and I are so different. It's hard for us to bond. You and I are so close in age; only about ten months apart. We get along the best, I think." he replies, obviously trying to get out of trouble.

"Okay, I'll accept that answer. Now you go get Mr. Davenport, and I'll help Tasha set the table, okay?" I say, standing up and walking to the kitchen.

He stands up and smiles. He walks to the elevator, and I grab the silverware and set it on the table, smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

Chase's P.O.V.

As I walk into the lab, my ears pick up the sound of fast typing. I turn the corner and see Mr. Davenport typing furiously onto the supercomputer. He's typing seemingly as fast as Bree. He is scowling, squinting at the computer, and biting his lip. I frown and walk up to him. The computer has a tracker pulled up on the screen and Mr. Davenport is inputting data as quick as lightning. He doesn't even seem to notice me standing there. "What are you doing, Mr. Davenport?" I ask, trying to get his attention.

After a moment, he looks up at me and frowns. "I'm sorry, Chase, what do you need? I'm really busy so can you make it fast?"

"Well, Tasha just wants to know if you want to eat lunch with us. What are you working on?" I ask curiously.

"It-it's nothing. Tell Tasha that I'm too busy right now, but if she would like to send something down here that would be great." He replies, turning back to the computer.

"Uh, okay. That looks pretty important. What is it? Who are you tracking?" I ask.

He turns away from the computer and sighs, "Chase, I don't want Tasha to worry, but Leo is missing. He and his team were doing a routine security check of the island when he went missing. He just disappeared. Taylor said that they split up to do different tasks and when it was time for them to meet up, he didn't show. They tried to contact him via com set, but he didn't answer. After that, they searched for him, but all they found was his comset and a starfish on the beach. They think he was taken. They told Douglas this and Adam's team has been called back to the island along with a couple other teams to search for him. I don't want Tasha to know yet because if she gets stressed out about it, it might hurt the baby." He took a deep breath and sat down.

"Wow, Mr. Davenport. Do who have any idea of who did it?" I ask, sitting down beside him.

"I think so. As you know, Dr. Gao escaped from prison a little while back. We knew he was going to attack at some point, so we tightened security on the island and here. I guess we didn't think he would attack the security. I'm sure Dr. Gao is behind this. I just don't know where he is or why he took Leo of all people." he replies.

"Let me see if I can do a scan on Leo's location," I say, putting my fingers to my temple.

I search for Leo, but his whereabouts are blocked to my chip. In return, I'm shocked in the head by the blocker. "Ow! I can't get through. Something's blocking me." I say when the pain subsides a bit.

"It must be a chip blocker. No one will be able to track him with their bionic chip. I'm just going to have to do it the old fashioned way; the supercomputer." he sighs.

I stay there a few more minutes, trying to help him with the tracker, but we keep coming up with the same thing; nothing. Finally, I decide it's time to go back upstairs and eat. I ride the elevator and make my way into the kitchen. I see Tasha washing dishes, but Bree is nowhere to be seen. "Oh hi, Chase. You were down there so long Bree and I figured you were working on something together so we ate without you. Your food is still on the table if you want it; Donald's too." she says, not looking away from her work.

"Okay, I'll take it down. Where is Bree? When we talked on the phone she seemed like she really wanted to talk." I say, picking up the plate and walking toward the hall.

"Oh, she went with Leo to see her birthday surprise." she replies nonchalantly.

I dropped the plate and stared with eyes wide open. I turned to Tasha, who had come over to me to see why I had dropped the plate. "What did you say?" I ask, just to make sure I heard correctly.

"She is with Leo, sweetie; getting her birthday surprise," she repeated, looking concerned.

"Oh, u, okay. I have to go to Mr. Davenport and, um, give him his lunch." I say, walking to the elevator.

"But you just dropped his lunch on the floor," she says slowly.

"Right; He will have to eat mine then. I'm not really hungry anyway." I mumble, going back to the table to get my lunch.

"Chase, are you okay?" she asks, clearly concerned.

"I'm fine. I just need to give Mr. Davenport his lunch." I say as calmly as I can.

Tasha frowns but walks back to the sink without saying a word. I rush down to the lab and almost run straight into Mr. Davenport. "Breh-Leh-gone" I panted, out of breath.

"Chase, what's wrong? I can't understand you. Take a breath and speak slowly." he says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I sit down and take a deep breath. "Tasha said that Bree left with Leo a little while ago to see her birthday present. But Leo is missing, right? So how is that possible?" I ask, concerned.

Where is Bree and who is she with? "I don't know. Let me see if I can pull up Bree's location," he says as he types.

Nothing; we can't get Bree's signal either. "How is that possible?" I exclaim, frustrated.

I try to locate Bree with my bionics, but again I get a message that tells me my chip is blocked. And then the pain comes again. "Ouch! Bree's chip is blocked; I can't find her." I say, getting anxious.

It's one thing if I can't locate Leo with my bionics. He isn't connected to my personal system since he doesn't have a chip and he's not part of the original three. But not being able to reach Bree is a whole other problem. Her chip is directly connected to mine, as is Adam's. I can reach her chip at any time. If I can't reach her, it means that she is off the grid. She is either unconscious or... dead. "What? That's impossible! You can reach her chip anywhere at any time! It's not possible for you to be blocked out. The only way for her chip to be blocked to you is if-" He says before I cut him off, not wanting to hear the words about to come out of his mouth.

"I know! But she's not, not dead. I know it. I would know if she was. I would be able to feel it. I would know. She's not dead." I say, trying not to become frantic.

"We're going to find her Chase; and Leo too. It's going to be okay." He says, placing his hand on my shoulder to calm me.

I sigh and we begin searching for my best friend in the world, and my little brother.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you all for reading my story and I hope you like it! :) I appreciate reviews so thank you to those who have reviewed so far. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter and the rest of the story too. Much love! :)

Bree's P.O.V.

Chase was taking forever, so Tasha and I decided to go ahead and eat without him. He must be working on something with Mr. Davenport. He took so long down there that the whole hour passed, and Leo came back to take me to the surprise. I told Tasha to let Chase know that I was sorry I missed him, but I had to see my surprise. Leo came and we left. We are walking down the street in town now toward the FroYo shop. Leo hates that place. He's hated it ever since Marcus almost drove him into the ocean from there a few years ago. It doesn't make sense why we're going there now. "Leo, why are we going to the FroYo shop? You hate that place." I say, trying to understand what we are doing here.

"Well, I'm not a wimpy little kid anymore, Bree. I can face my fears now. If you are too scared, though, we can take a short cut." he snickered.

Wait, he snickered? Leo isn't one to make fun of people. What is up with him today? We keep walking, past the FroYo shop, past the library, past everything in town until we get to the docks. Not the docks that are used now, but the old abandoned docks where the teenagers go to mess around and scare themselves, and each other. There's an old houseboat. Some say it's haunted, but I don't believe that. Regardless of whether the tale is true or not, the place is still pretty creepy. "What are we doing here?" I ask, shivering even though it's not that cold.

"We're here for the surprise, silly," he says in an eerie tone, "Surprise."

Suddenly I'm surrounded by men in masks. I gasp and run, but my bionics aren't working. 'Leo' smirks and says, "Oh, are your bionics not working for you? Poor princess! That's just too bad for you. I guess you'll just have to come with us." he says as two of the men take my arms and drag me toward a boat.

"Who are you?" I scream, trying to break free, "You're not Leo."

" Your worst nightmare, dollface," as he said the words, he changed.

He know longer looked like Leo, but like Sebastian. "I'm back!" he cries, "Hello, Bree. Nice to see you again."

I gasp, "Sebastian! How is this possible?"

"I had some connections." he says simply.

"What do you want with me?" I ask as he steps closer to me.

I don't give in to the urge to turn my head aside when he comes only an inch or two from my face. I look him straight in the eyes. "You. My new boss, my adoptive father, wants you. He wants to make your family suffer and I want to help." he explains.

"Where is Leo?" I ask.

"He's waiting for you. He's already there. We picked him up this morning. You're going to save him. See, dad doesn't want Leo. Leo is only there until you free him. The moment you walk into the place, Leo is a free man. It's you they want." he replies.

"What happened, Sebastian? At one time I-I thought you sort of liked me." I say, trying to bring out his good side.

"Yes, I did like you; quite a lot, actually. I'm sorry it had to come to this, Bree. I didn't want them to hurt you." he says, pushing the hair away from my face.

For a moment, I thought there was a glimmer of hope, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. His face hardened and he stepped away from me. "But your brother, Chase, ruined your chances, Bree. Make sure to blame him for what happens to you. It's all his fault that this is happening." he says, turning away from me.

"Don't you care about me anymore, Sebastian? I can tell you, I liked you a lot. It broke my heart when you turned against me." I say, not realizing more much it had hurt me until then.

"It doesn't matter how I feel, Bree! These are my orders!" he shouts, turning to face me again, then quickly turning away.

"Tell me, Sebastian. Tell me if you ever did really care about me. I should, at least, know that much." I say, my voice growing louder.

I almost forgot about being captured then. In that moment, it was just him and me. "I loved you, Bree. There, I said it. Can we just go now?" he says quietly, coming close again and looking into my eyes.

It's almost as if he's the one trapped now. "If you love me, Sebastian, please let me go," I say softly.

His face softens, then hardens again. "You know I can't, Bree. I have to put my duty first," he replies, emotionless.

"Then, Sebastian, look at me, don't let them hurt me," I say.

I know it's an impossible thing to ask, but I had to try. "I can't promise that. You know that," he replies quietly, so only I can hear.

"I know, but please try. I just, I want you to know, I think I loved you too." I say, choking on the lump in my throat.

He says nothing; just nods. After a minute, he speaks, "Let's go, Bree. Let's go to Leo."

I follow him wordlessly. By now the men in masks have let go of my arms, and now form a barricade around me. But I know I don't need the barricade, and Sebastian knows it too. I'm going to get my little brother. I will go go there and get Leo out of there. And I will stay. Sebastian will stick up for me, and I will be okay. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. Because if I don't, I will have to believe that something will happen to me. And I am not ready to believe that. Not yet. I have to believe that everything will be alright because if I don't, I might cry. And I hate crying almost as much as I hate Sebastian for doing this to me.


	5. Chapter 5

Adam's P.O.V.

I'm on my way back to Mission Creek, but not for a visit or vacation. Leo has been captured. Mr. Davenport says it was Dr. Gao. I knew I didn't like that guy. Leo is my best friend (other than Bob, of course). I know we aren't technically related, but Leo is like a brother to me. He's been a good friend. I know I'm usually the goofy, funny one, but when my family is in danger, I get serious real quick. I remember when Chase almost didn't come home from a mission once. I was so scared for him. Bree asked me to tell her that it was going to be alright. To say that Chase was fine and he would come back. And I said it for her. She needed to hear those words from me. But I didn't believe them myself. I had to be strong for her, though. She needed me to be strong for her. That's what I am; strength. When everyone else crumbles under the pressure, I can't. I have to be that strength for the others. I think to when Bree destroyed her chip. She didn't realize the consequences of her actions. I think she cried a bit the day Chase and I came home, barely alive. I told her it would be alright. I said that her chip would be fixed in no time. She smiled and hugged Chase, but I know she was thankful for me too. I remember when we went to school at Mission Creek High and Leo and Chase would be bullied by Trent. They didn't know it, but I had a talk with Trent one day. I told him to stop messing with my little brothers. I told him he would have me to deal with if he didn't stop. I found out later that Chase had watched the whole scene. I could see the gratitude on his face. Leo never found out about it, but I could tell he was much happier after Trent stopped picking on him. I protect my family no matter what.

I remember when Chase found out about his mom. She found out about him and decided to visit. Chase wasn't sure what to think about meeting his mother. Douglas told him his story. His mother got pregnant when she was only thirteen years old. She knew she couldn't take care of him, so she put him up for adoption. Douglas ended up adopting him; legally and everything. Mr. Davenport took Chase when he was about five years old. The reason we don't remember living with Douglas is because Mr. Davenport erased our memories of him and replaced those with memories of Mr. Davenport. Anyway, Chase finally decided to meet his mom after he heard Douglas tell me my story. My mom was married to Mr. Davenport and they were very happy together. Mr. Davenpport said that she was the most beautiful woman in the world (other than Tasha, of course). Her name was Sophia. She and Mr. Davenport were happy for awhile, but then Douglas came into the picture. Douglas told me how much he regretted what he did because of how it tore our family apart. My mom cheated on Mr. Davenport with Douglas, and she said it was Douglas's fault. Mr. Davenport got really mad at Douglas, but he forgave both of them when they apologized. Then mom found out she was pregnant; with me. She had no idea who the dad was, but since she had slept with Douglas last, she figured I was probably his. That was what really drove Mr. Davenport away from Douglas. I guess I can sort of understand. I mean, his wife was pregnant with his brother's kid. That's pretty harsh. But even through al of this, Mr. Davenport still loved my mom. He stayed with her even though she was pregnant with another man's child. As it turns out, she was in a car accident about 6 months after I was born. She died on impact. Douglas, who raised me after that, found out when I was about two years old that I was really Mr. Davenport's son, but he didn't tell Mr. Davenport because he was afraid that I would be taken away from him. Douglas finally did tell Mr. Davenport, and then they told me. Chase decided that he should see his mom while he had the chance. I never got the chance to meet my mom, and although Tasha is a great mom, I still wish with all of my heart that I could have met my own. So Chase met his mom, and he loved her. They see each other sometimes, and Chase gets to see his little sister, Cassie, who is four years old. Cassie thinks he's the coolest brother ever. Whenever she sees him, she says, "My super hero brother is here!"

Bree's story is a little different from mine and Chase's. Bree's mom was married to Douglas for about a year. She took off when Bree was only a few months old. Her name is Natalie, and no one has been able to track her down. Bree tried to find her a while back, but all she found was an old apartment. Chase went with her, and I'm glad he did. They knocked on the door of the apartment, and a bearded man answered the door. They asked if Natalie Davepor lived in the apartment, but the man said he had never heard of her. As the man turned to close the door, Chase noticed that the man was wearing a cyber mask. It was a trap set up for us. The only reason it didn't work was because Chase noticed and left with Bree before the man could do anything. His quick thinking saved both of their lives.

I'm glad we know who our parents really are, but that doesn't change the fact that we are a family. At least, I think so.

As I'm thinking these things, I get a call from Mr. Davenport. "Adam, get here quick. Bree's been captured," he says, panic evident in his voice.

"I'm coming, Mr. Davenport. Don't worry; we'll be fine. I know we will." I reply.

"Just hurry, Adam." he says, ending the call.

Though the call has ended, I speak, "Don't worry; I'm on my way."

Time to go be the strength. Time to go save my baby sister and my best friend. Time to go get Leo and Bree.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I decided to go ahead and give you guys a bonus chapter because today the story has over 1,000 views, and also 10 reviews! Yay! Please keep reading and reviewing! I can even give a sneak peak of the next chapter to everyone who reviews. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and reviewing this story! I'm really glad you are liking it so far! So, I hope you enjoy this bonus chapter and have a great day! :)

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Leo's P.O.V.

I've been here a long time. I don't know how long it's been. It's dark and there is no sunlight. Out of nowhere, a bit of light shines through the darkness, and I go towards it. I hear a loud bang and I open my eyes to see masked men standing around me. The room has no windows and only one door. The only light comes from a single bulb at the ceiling. I'm confused for a minute; I thought I had died. I get up the courage to ask the masked men where I am and why I'm here. "Who are you, and why am I here?" I ask, trying to stand.

"You're the bait, Leo. Your family will be very worried about you when they find out that you're missing. They will try to find you, but they will all fail. But Bree will find you and save you. As soon as she is here, you may leave. As for who I am, you know me already. You've fought me before. I bet you know who I am." he says, looking at me with those horrible eyes.

It's then I realize who has taken me. "Dr. Gao! How did you escape from prison?" I ask, trying to stand again, but to no avail.

He motions to the henchmen behind him to help me onto the little cot. "I had a little help from a friend of yours," he says as the door opens.

This man also wears a mask, but I know who it is. He pulls the mask off, revealing his face and his horrible eyebrow. "Hello, Leo. Bet you didn't think you'd be seeing me again," he says as he shuts the door.

"Marcus! How did you come back to life? Nevermind that, you always seem to come back. What I want to know is what you want from us." I say, sitting up on the cot.

"Well, Leo, your family has hurt all of us in one way or another. We just want to get back at them." Explains Gao.

"What about me?" I ask.

"You will be punished too, but not like you expect. You are the bait to bring Bree here. If we hurt her, we hurt all of you. When she gets here, you are free to leave. You can lead the rest of you family here to watch her suffer. Or, if you choose, you may stay here with her until your family finds you two. Nevertheless, as soon as the rest of your family shows up, she will suffer, and you will all watch. Oh, don't worry, we won't kill her. No, she doesn't deserve to die. She deserves something far worse than death; torture so extreme it will make you grind your teeth and scream out at the horror of her screams. Hahahaha" He laughs maliciously.

"Why do you want to hurt our family?" I ask.

"Because you hurt mine," He replies sharply.

"How? When? We save people, we don't hurt them." I say.

"You killed my daughter. You and your family took my beautiful angel away from me, so I'm going to take Bree away from you," he says, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"We didn't kill anybody!" I exclaim.

This guy is crazy! He thinks we killed his daughter! "You killed my precious baby girl. You killed my little Giselle." He cries.

Giselle... Oh my goodness! "Giselle is your daughter?!" I exclaim, shocked.

"Was. Your family killed her!" He exclaims, pain in his voice.

"Look, I'm sorry for your loss, but we didn't kill her. She was trying to kill us and she accidentally got caught in her own laser whip. We didn't touch her." I explain.

This doesn't do anything, and he says, "It was your fault she died anyway. If she hadn't been hurt fighting your family before, she wouldn't have gotten killed. And if your family would have just died, she wouldn't have had to fight you. It's still your family's fault." He explains in his messed up logic.

"Okay, well, think what you want to think, but I'm not leaving Bree here with you," I say, trying to be brave.

"You think you can protect her? Well, go ahead and try. She should be here shortly. Sebastian is bringing her here now." He says, exiting the room and locking the door behind him.

I'm not even surprised that Sebastian is in on this. Everyone else from our past is showing up, so why shouldn't he? I can't believe what they are going to do. Well, I won't let them do it. I'll protect Bree. She is one of my best friends; not to mention like a sister to me. I won't let them hurt her. Now all I can do is wait for her to get here. I hope Sebastian hasn't hurt her. I don't think he would; he loved her once. Maybe he still does love her and will help keep her safe. It's doubtful, but it could happen! I wonder if mom and Big D know that we're missing yet. I wonder if they're looking for us. Did they call Adam back from the East Coast to help find us? Is Chase tracking us down? There is nothing left to do but wait. I lie down on the cot. It isn't very comfortable, but I'm so exhausted that I could sleep anywhere. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep. It's peaceful and quiet in my dream. We are all together as a family once again. That is my hope and dream. I want us to be back together soon.

My dream is cut short when a loud bang wakes me up. I open my eyes to see Bree on the floor in front of me. She looks up at me with a brave face.


	7. Chapter 7

Bree's P.O.V.

The ride here wasn't too long; it felt like only a few minutes. But I'm not sure if we were in a super speed car or a regular one. Sebastian has his mask on again when he takes me out of the back of the van, but I know it's him. He doesn't try to force me out; he knows he doesn't need to. "Come on," is all he says as he holds out a hand to help me down.

I take his hand and step out of the van. He holds my arm, and I hold my wrists behind my back, giving the illusion of being tied up. The ground feels soft under my feet. I look down to see that we are on a beach. The beach looks familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen it before. Sebastian reaches into his pocket and pulls out a mask. The lense is blacked out so I can't see anything when I put it on. I can tell there is an oxygen tank conected to the mask. He pulls me and suddenly I am very wet. A wave rushes over my face, but I don't have time to react before he pulls me down, under the water. I hold my breath, but eventually I can't hold it any longer. "Maybe this is how I will die." I think to myself. But then I remember the oxzygen tank on the mask and breath in oxygen. I'm pulled farther down into the water. The next thing I know, Sebastian is helping me stand again. The mask is still on my face. I feel a lot of wind for a moment, and I'm dry withinn secnds. We walk a ways and Sebastian takes the mask off of my face. I take a deep breath and gasp for fresh air. I almost fall, but he steadies me.

We walk to a door and he unlocks it. He motions for me to step inside the room, so I do. The room is not well lit, so I can't see very well. Once I get a bit closer, I can see Leo sleeping on a cot a few feet away from me. I hear footsteps from outside the door, and Sebastian quickly throws me to the floor. I cringe, feeling the cold cement floor on my face. The footsteps are getting closer, and now I can hear voices. Sebastian whispers to me, "Stay down!"

I do as I'm told. I have no idea who is coming, and I don't want to act foolishly. I slowly turn over so that I can see the people who have entered the room. Two men in masks stand at the door, and Sebastian is blocking their way into the room. They are still able to see inside the room, however, so I pretend to be asleep. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" says the taller of the two.

"It's the little bionic girl." says the other.

"Hey, Sebastian, what do you say we give her a little taste of what's to come." says the tall one, trying to come inside the room.

"Come on, guys, you know the boss said not to touch the merchandise. He would be really mad if he found out," says Sebastian, pushing them back.

"But he won't find out. Come on, Sebastian! One little peek won't hurt." says the shorter of the two.

"Yes, it will. You know the boss has plans for her. If you mess them up, he'll have your head. And you know he'll find out; he has eyes everywhere." says Sebastian, looking at the ceiling.

"Yeah, but-" begins the short one before Sebastian cuts him off.

"Come on, guys! She's not even worth it. Trust me, I used to know her. She's not worth the risk of getting caught." he says.

To my relief, they shrug and walk out of the room. Sebastian follows them out and shuts the door behind him.

The loud noise wakes up Leo, who had been sleeping until now. I look up at him as he rubs his eyes. "Hi, Leo," I say quietly.

"Bree? How did you wake up so quickly? That tranquilizer dart made me sleep for hours." he asks, standing up.

"I wasn't tranquilized. Sebastian brought me. I came here to save you. He said they were holding you here, and if I came, they would let you go. So I came. You can thank me now." I say haughtily.

"Bree! They tricked you! It's you they want; I'm just the bait. Yes, I could leave now, but I can't really leave." He groans.

I'm confused. I thought he could leave once I arrived. "What do you mean you can't leave? Won't they let you go now that I'm here?" I ask.

"Yes, they will let me go, but they won't let you go. They are keeping you here for the big event. When everyone else gets here, they will bring you out for the others to see, and they will destroy you." he explains.

"But if you can leave, why don't you just go warn the others about the plan?" I ask.

"Because I can't leave you!" he says, letting out an exasperated sigh, "While we are waiting for the others to get here, you are in a lot of danger. These guards are mostly androids. They can think for themselves, but they're made of steel and other metals."

"Sebastian will protect me from them if he has to, but even if he doesn't, I can take care of myself," I say, flipping my hair.

"You don't get it, do you? Sebastian can't let them know that he loves you. If he can change a guard's mind about attacking you, then he will. But if the guards are set on hurting you, he can't do anything about it or his cover will be blown. You might be able to fight off a couple of guards, but if there are six or so, you might not be able to fight them all. I will stay here with you so that you don't get hurt." he says.

I nod and sit down on the cot. Before I can say anything, Dr. Gao appears at the door. "Leo, I am coming in. I'm alone, so no need to worry about getting hurt." He says, opening the door.

"Come in," says Leo, a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

"I see that Bree has arrived safely. Welcome to my home, Bree. As for you, Leo, you are free to go if you like." he says casually.

"I've decided to stay here until our family comes." says Leo, trying to act brave.

"Very well," says Gao with a sly smile, "I suppose I should tell you how things will work."

He walks closer to me as he begins speaking. "Bree, you will be kept here until your family comes for you. You are safe in this room with Leo. No one may enter this room without his permission, so you should be fairly safe here. Even I will announce myself before entering. My guards have instructions not to touch you, but sometimes they disobey. Leo is a good brother to stay with you. Your family will only be able to find you when I allow it. That will be in a week or so. When they arrive, you and Leo will be escorted out of this room by one of my highest ranking officials. It will probably be Sebastian, but it may be Marcus. You both will be taken to the arena room. Leo will no longer be free to leave. He must stay in the viewing box with the others. I have designed an android specifically for you, my dear. You will step into the arena with him and fight him. If you win, all of you may go free. I won't bother you again. But if you lose, you must participate in an experiment of mine and stay here for about a year."

I look at Leo, who is biting his lip, obviously worried. I don't see why, though; I can fight a single android in five minutes. "However, if you wish to opt out of fighting the android, you may choose a sacrifice from your family. Leo is not an acceptable sacrifice, but either Adam or Chase will do. If you choose a sacrifice, you must fight him until one of you wins. The loser must stay here for a period of a week. I hope you do understand that this will not be an ordinary fight, of course. There is only one rule: you must destroy or be destroyed."


	8. Chapter 8

Leo's P.O.V.

I watch as Dr. Gao explains the plan to Bree. I don't want her to get hurt. I hate that she came to save me and now she will be hurt. I don't know what to do to help her. They turned my bionics off so that I can't get us out. We have to wait for the others to come, and it terrifies me to think that they'll be too late. When they show up, it's doomsday for Bree. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from us?" asks Bree.

"I'm going to take away the light of your family's eyes. You, Bree. Your family destroyed my daughter, so I will destroy the daughter of your family." Explain Gao simply.

"What are you talking about? We didn't kill anybody." I pipe up.

"Are you sure about that, Leo?" he says, looking me in the eye, "You killed Giselle, didn't you?"

My jaw drops, and Bree looks at Dr. Gao with wide eyes. "Wait, Giselle is y-your daughter?" she says in surprise.

"Was!" he exclaims, "Until you took her away from me! You killed her and now I will kill you."

He looks at Bree with a sinister sneer. "But we didn't kill her!" I say, trying to defend us. " _She_ tried to kill Bree, Adam, and Chase. When she tried to hit them with her laser whip, it became wrapped around her and she got kinda messy. Um, she technically killed herself; accidentally."

"It doesn't matter who did what! It's still your fault that she's dead! If you hadn't gotten in her way, she wouldn't have tried to take you out, and she wouldn't have died!" he exclaims with emotion in his voice.

"If she hadn't been trying to destroy humanity, we wouldn't have gotten in her way!" says Bree, using her hands for emphasis.

"She was fighting for what she believed! She did nothing to you!" he says, walking near the door.

With him being farther away from her, Bree seems to gain some more courage, and speaks,"Are you kidding me? She almost killed Chase! Do you understand how it feels to have the one person you love most in the world taken from you? I guess you do now. I'm really sorry about Giselle. We didn't mean for her to die. But when I thought Chase was dead, I wanted to die. Adam was all about revenge, but I just wanted my best friend back. Giselle created Troy too. He tried to kill my family. He tried to kill me. Do you know what that is like; to have this creep whispering in your ear the ways he is going to kill you? And I almost didn't make it out. My family almost died in there! So I'm really sorry about Giselle. I know how it feels to lose someone you love. But it doesn't mean that you have to act like this!"

He seems to think on this, and his face softens for a moment, but the look is gone as soon as it appears. His face hardens as he opens the door. He turns to look at us and speaks in a quiet voice, "It is already done. We can't go back now. I'll see you when your family arrives."

He slams the door behind him, and Bree and I are alone again. We stand in silence for a minute, then I sit on my cot and sigh. "What do we do now, Leo?" she asks, sitting down beside me.

"Well, we wait," I reply, "What else is there to do but wait."

We sit there for a long time, neither of us saying much. At last, Bree sits on her own cot and seems exhausted at the day's events. "Just go to sleep, Bree," I say, encouraging her to give in to the temptations of sleep.

" What if the guards try to come in while I'm asleep? I can't go to sleep, Leo," she says in a sleepy voice.

I can tell she needs sleep, so I Walk to her cot, bringing my own blanket for her. "Go to sleep. You must be exhausted. I'll take care of everything." I say, handing her the blanket.

"Well, I guess maybe a quick nap won't hurt. I-I think I'll just close my eyes for a bit and then we can figure a way out of here," she says, taking the blanket from my hand and lying down on her cot.

"Sweet dreams, Bree. Maybe you can dream us a way out of here." I say softly, walking back to my cot and sitting down.

I don't dare to lay down. If I do I might fall asleep, and I can't take that chance. There's really nothing to do here except sit and stare at the wall. I have no concept of time, but, at least, an hour must have passed; probably more. I hear a knock on the door, and I see that Marcus is at the door with two trays of food. He doesn't look sinister now; just a regular boy. "Come in. Give me the food and then you may leave." I say.

He opens the door and hands me the food. He gives me a smile; a creepy, toothy smile. It makes me shiver. It's his evil smile, for when he's plotting something bad. "Thank you. Now, goodbye." I say, gesturing for him to leave.

He nods and steps outside. "Tell Bree I said hello when she wakes up. I've missed her," he says before shutting the door and locking it.

I contemplate waking Bree to eat but decide to let her sleep a little longer. The food reminds me of the mush from the Mission Creek High's cafeteria. It's green beans with mashed potatoes and an apple. There is water to drink, but it is lukewarm. Before I finish eating, Bree wakes up and comes over to see what I am doing. "Why didn't you wake me up? It's been awhile since I ate lunch. I' getting hungry." she says groggily.

"You needed to sleep. Here, your food is still warm if you want it, but don't touch the mashed potatoes. They are disgusting." I say, picking some up with my spoon and letting it fall back onto the plate.

"Thanks for the warning. I think I'll have the apple. It looks decent." she replies, picking up the apple and taking a bite.

I pick up my own apple and bite into it. I have to admit, it's pretty good. "Marcus brought our food. He looked like he was planning something. I'm afraid for us, Bree. What if he tries something. You know how ruthless he can be." I say nervously.

"We are going to be fine, Leo. I'm sure of it," she says, taking another bite of her apple.

I start to feel very sleepy all of a sudden, and I climb onto my cot and lay down. "What's the matter?" asks Bree, concerned.

"I don't know. I just have a stomach ache. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten that apple." I look to Bree's hand to see that she has already finished most of her apple.

"Do you think it was poisoned?!" She exclaims, dropping the apple core from her hand.

"I don't know; maybe! I just feel really sleepy all of a sudden." I say, my eyes beginning to droop closed.

"No! Leo! Don't go to sleep! You have to stay awake!" She exclaims, shaking my shoulders to wake me up.

Suddenly, she grabs her head in her hands. "Ow! My head!" she cries.

I'm brought back to full consciousness for a moment as I watch her writhe on the ground. "Bree, are you okay?" I ask, pulling myself off of the cot to go to her.

By the time I reach her, she is unconscious. "Bree! Bree, no! Wake up!" I scream.

The fog comes back and I can't keep my eyes open any longer. I pass out beside Bree. My last thought before slipping into comatose is, "How will we get out of this?"

And then I'm gone.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hey Guys! I hope you enjoy reading this new chapter! I wanted to let you know that when I reach both 2,000 views (I currently have 1,890) and 20 reviews, I will post a bonus chapter! So tell your friends and read and review! Have a great day! :)

Leo's P.O.V.

I wake with a start. I open my eyes to see that I am strapped to a hard, flat surface. I can't get out. I look to my right, and out of the corner of my eye I see Bree strapped to a table as well. She's still unconscious. I also see that we are not alone. We have been moved out of the cell and are now in some sort of laboratory. Dr. Gao is here, along with Marcus and a few other guards. "What is this place? Why are we here?" I ask, trying to get out of the chains that hold me.

Well, I'm conducting a little experiment and I need you and Bree to be still, so I strapped you down. Don't worry; it won't hurt at all. She won't even know it happened when she wakes up." he says, walking away from me and closer to Bree.

"What sort of experiment?" I question suspiciously.

"It doesn't really concern you. The important thing is that it won't hurt. It may not even work. It might not take effect, so watch her carefully when you get home for any strange behaviors such as eating habits, mood swings, normal things like that, but they may be exaggerated or extreme." he replies, looking at me briefly before turning back to Bree.

"You can't just do whatever you want with her! You won't get away with it!" I say, still struggling against my bonds, "At least tell me what will happen to her if it works."

"She will be a bit... different, that's all. It's nothing bad. But I don't have to answer to you. I'm done talking. I have to finish this experiment." he walks toward me with a syringe in his hand.

He raises an eyebrow and walks away again. I can't see Bree very well; only out of the corner of my eye. I close my eyes and wish it to be over quickly and not to hurt her. Only a few minutes pass before I am released and taken back into the cell along with a sleeping Bree. I decide to let her sleep while she can and explain what happened when she wakes up. I can't help thinking about the others. I wonder if they know we're missing yet. Are they looking for us? I've been here only one night, but I'm already sick of the place. I just want to leave and go home. I see Bree stirring so I walk over to her. "What happened?" she asks, holding her head.

"We were drugged. Don't worry, the pain in your head should go away soon. It was the apples." I reply.

"Very Snow White of them." she jokes.

I laugh, "Yeah, but I need to tell you what they did."

She becomes serious and I begin the story. "I woke up first because I hadn't eaten as much of the apple as you. I saw Gao and a few of his guards, including Marcus, standing around a lab. I was strapped down to a hard, flat surface and you were strapped down across the room. I couldn't really see you, but I could make out your form out of the corner of my eye. I yelled until Gao came over to me and explained that he was conducting an experiment on you. He said that it won't hurt you, and it may not even work at all. He said that if it does work, it may take a few weeks to take effect. I tried to get him to tell me what it's supposed to do, but he wouldn't tell me. He said just to watch you carefully over the next month or so. I don't know what's going to happen to you, Bree. I have no idea what he has planned."

"Great. I thought you were supposed to be 'protecting' me, Leo!" she exclaims.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I don't want you to get hurt. I wanted to protect you. I didn't know how. I'm really sorry." I say, choking up a bit.

I don't what is going to happen to her and I'm scared that she might get hurt. "I guess I forgive you. I'm sorry about yelling. I guess I'm just scared of what might happen. I have no idea what could happen to me. It could be anything." she says with a sigh.

"I know. I am so sorry. I should have done better. I should have protected you. I just can't stand it that I wasn't able to be there for you when you needed me. I mean, you're my sister, Bree. I know I don't say it much, but you mean a lot to me and it would kill me if you got seriously hurt." I say.

"I love you too, Leo. We're going to be okay. The others will find us and get us out of here before anything bad happens." she assures me.

I smile slightly and walk to my cot,"You should get some sleep. I'll stay up and guard the door. You'll probably need your strength for tomorrow."

"What happens tomorrow?" She asks.

"Training begins," I reply, laying down.

She looks nervous and lies down on her cot. I fold my hands behind my head and stare up at the ceiling. "What will it be like?" she asks.

I turn my head to look at her. She doesn't even look scared. "I don't know, Bree. I just overheard them talking about training you starting the second day you are here."

"Oh, well, I'm sure it will be alright." she says in a worried tone.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Bree. They said they aren't going to hurt you until the others arrive." I say, trying to calm her.

But I don't believe my own words. She closes her eyes and falls asleep as I watch the door. I don't fall asleep for the entire night. Morning comes slowly, and I have no idea what time it is. The little lightbulb is on all night, and I can only guess how many hours go by as I sit and watch. Then the door creaks open about two inches. "Who's there?" I ask quietly so that Bree doesn't wake up.

"Calm down! It's only me," says the voice.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hey! Sorry for so many A/N's but I wanted to let you guys know that we have reached 2,000 views! Yay! So as soon as we reach 20 reviews, I will post a bonus chapter! I really hope you like this new chapter! Tell me what you think! :) Much love! Ally. :)

Bree's P.O.V.

I wake up to the door being opened. I assume it's morning by now. I must have slept the whole night. Leo is at the door and trying to keep the person on the other side out. "Leo! What's going on?" I shout, jumping out of bed.

"It's Marcus! He said he was bringing us something but I don't trust him. I don't even know how he got here. Douglas melted him in the lab." he says, struggling to push the door closed, "He didn't even ask to come in."

"What do you want, Marcus?" I ask, walking to the door.

"I'm bringing your breakfast! Hey, Sebastian! Tell them you are letting me do this!" he yells, turning to face the hallway.

Sebastian shows up at the door and asks to enter. "Not with him here," says Leo.

"Leo, relax! If Sebastian is here then we're fine." I say quietly to him.

"Alright, I guess you can come in, but if you do anything funny, you are leaving immediately." he says hesitantly, opening the door.

They both walk in, Marcus holding two trays of food. I'm really hungry, so I pick up the piece of toast and am about to take a bite when Leo cries out, "Wait! Don't eat it! How do we know it's not drugged again?"

Marcus smirks and Sebastian has a confused look on his face. "They- I mean- we drugged your food?" asks Sebastian.

"Yeah, last night when our food got here it was drugged. It was in the apples which I thought was very Snow White of you guys. You didn't know about it?" I ask Sebastian.

"I-I didn't know about it." he replies, caught off guard.

"Yes, well, the boss knows how you are with them. Loyal to your duty, yes, but you wouldn't hurt your princess," says Marcus, " At least, not intentionally. You're pretty much useless now that they are here. The only thing you're good for is keeping out the perverted guards at night."

Sebastian looks surprised, and I look at one, then the other, trying to figure out what is even going on. "Oh don't be so surprised. We all knew you were weak. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten rid of you yet. I mean, the only reason you're still here is to protect her until the ceremony." says Marcus.

"I'm not weak!" Sebastian yells.

"Then prove it." Replies Marcus.

He comes toward me a bit, a hard look on his face, but when he looks into my eyes his face softens and he backs away."I don't have to prove anything to you. I believe your work is done here. You can leave now." he says, gesturing to the door.

"And what about you? What business do you have here?" Marcus snaps.

"I was ordered to check up on them and see how they are doing this morning. Goodbye, Marcus," he replies, basically growling.

Marcus scowls, but retreats and closes the door behind him. As soon as Marcus is gone, Sebastian comes up to me with a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay? What did they do?" he asks.

"I don't know. I was asleep the whole time. Leo said he saw a syringe but he couldn't see whether it was going in or coming out. I don't know what it was. He said it was a white sort of color, though. I don't know what happened. It's a bit scary if you think about it. I have no idea what will happen to me. I mean, I could explode or turn evil or anything." I say, looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to find out what happened. But now they don't trust me, so it's going to be harder to get information from them." he replies, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I shrug his hand off. I appreciate his help, but I just don't feel that I can be so close to him after everything. Maybe I loved him once, in a childish way, but now I know more about love than I did before all of this happened. I know that Sebastian loves me, but I also know that I don't love him. At least, not in the right way. Not like people who date should. I am very thankful for his help, but I know that we could never be together when I get out of this. He seems confused when I lead him to the door. "Thank you, Sebastian. I know you'll try your best." I say, opening the door for him.

He looks at me with a confused look in his eyes, "I will get you out of here, Bree. I love you." he says.

I don't look up at him for several seconds. When I finally do, I see that he is still looking at me, waiting for me to answer. I just can't bring myself to tell him what he wants to hear. "I know," I say.

He waits for a moment or two more, seeing if I will say anything else. When he's convinced that I'm done speaking, he walks out the door, but not before kissing my forehead and saying,"It's okay, Bree. I love you anyway."

He shuts the door behind him, and I'm left standing there at the door, completely frozen. Leo, who has been silent for quite a while now, finally speaks up, "What just happened?" he asks.

"He really does love me, and I just let him go," I reply, walking to my cot and sitting down.

"Do you love him too?" he asks.

"I wish I did, Leo. I wish with all my heart that I did." I reply, sighing.

Neither of us says anymore. I don't know what Leo is thinking, but I know that I'm questioning my answer to Sebastian's declaration of love. Should I have said that I love him too? No, I know that I did the right thing. I don't love him. Maybe, if things hadn't turned out the way they did, maybe then we could be happy. But it's far too late for that now. Besides, it's not just me that I have to think about. He didn't just hurt me when he betrayed us. He hurt my best friend too. And maybe that is the real reason I can't forgive him. Maybe that's why I can't seem to love him like I used to. Maybe it isn't about me and him at all. Maybe it's about something bigger than any of us would have thought. Maybe it's... Chase.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey guys! Here is your bonus chapter! WE are now at 20 reviews and 2,412 views! Yay! Remember, when we get to both 30 reviews and 3,000 views, you will get another bonus chapter! I will update again tomorrow as scheduled. Hope you enjoy this! Have a great day! :)

12 days later...

Chase's P.O.V.

After we found out that Bree had been captured, we called Adam and told him to hurry here. He got here a day after Bree was taken. I'm really worried about her. We still haven't found a trace. She's been missing for ten days now; her and Leo. I just don't want anything bad to happen to either of them. Bree's 20th birthday was five days ago. She spent her birthday in captivity. It's killing me not knowing what's happening to them. I want them both back here; safe and sound. A million thoughts are racing through my head of what could happen to them. I can't turn off these thoughts, but I don't want to think them! Mr. Davenport is starting to lose hope, but I can't. Adam keeps saying that it will be alright, but I know he's just saying it for my benefit; he doesn't really believe his own words. Douglas has arrived and is helping us look for Bree and Leo. He's a bit crazy over losing his daughter. He just goes around the house, inventing things. He's acting like Mr. Davenport did when Bree destroyed her chip a year or two back. I hope he doesn't go completely crazy over this. I have to admit, I'm going a little crazy too.

I'm down in the lab, still trying to track Bree. I'm getting desperate; what if she doesn't come home alright? What if they get hurt and are permanently psychologically damaged? I'm pulled from my thoughts by an incoming video call on the supercomputer. It's from a number I don't recognize, but thinking that it may lead to Bree and Leo, I answer it. I gasp when I see the people on the screen. "M-Mr. Davenport! Adam! Get down here!" I yell, not turning away from the screen.

"Hello, Chase. Nice to see you again. Are you ready for a little reunion? See, here we have Leo and Bree," he says, pointing to where they are tied to chairs, "And here is your android brother, Marcus. And Sebastian is here as well. Now, where are Adam and Donald? I want the to be here too."

Mr. Davenport comes down followed by Adam. "Chase, what's going on in he-" says Mr. Davenport, stopping when he sees the video call screen.

"Gao! Give me back Bree and Leo! You don't want to mess with my family, Gao!" Says Adam, coming close to the screen.

"Oh, don't worry. They are completely unharmed. Tell them I haven't hurt you, Bree." replies Dr. Gao, turning to Bree.

"I'm fine, Mr. Davenport. I don't need to be rescued. They haven't hurt me or Leo. I'm just fine. Please don't come." She pleads.

She looks fine. There are no signs of trauma that I can see. But she is acting strangely by asking us not to come save her. "Don't be silly, Bree. Of course, we're going to come save you." I say, rolling my eyes at her.

Her face shows fear for only a moment as she pleads with me once more not to come. "No, Chase, please don't come. It's a trap-" She says before she is cut off by one of the masked men putting his hand over her mouth.

"Sorry, that is all the time we have for today. Now to Leo." Says Gao directing the camera toward him.

"Hey guys, everything is okay. I've got it under control." Says Leo calmly.

We laugh and he scowls at us, "Hey! Look, we are just fine. I can find a way out on my own. Please don't come for us."

Dr. Gao then turns the camera to face him and speaks, "Oh, but, Leo, you don't need to be rescued. You could leave anytime you want to. See, you aren't even tied down. Leo could leave anytime he wants to. It's not him we want."

"Leo, if you aren't being held against your will, why don't you get out of there?!" Asks Mr. Davenport, putting emphasis on the last few words.

"Let Gao explain what he wants before I tell you why I'm still here. Maybe then I won't have to explain." He replies.

"Well, Dr. Gao, what do you want?" Asks Mr. Davenport with a small growl in his voice.

"It's simple, really. I want revenge. Your family killed my daughter. You took away the only light of my life. So I am going to take away the light of your lives. I have others to help me as well. Marcus is here, and so is Sebastian. So many people want revenge on your family, Donald. So what do you do when you want revenge? You find everyone else who wants revenge on the same family. We put our heads together and thought of the best way to get back at all of you. We figured the way to hurt you the most was to take something that meant the world to you. See, you took my daughter from me, you took Sebastian's father from him, and you took away Marcus's chance of life from him. We all want to take something from you, and we decided that the best way to hurt all of you is to take Bree." He explains.

I feel anger bubbling up inside me, but before I can say anything, I hear Adam's voice, "You leave Bree alone! If you touch her I will end you!"

"Oh, don't worry. I won't kill her. She doesn't deserve death. She, and you, deserve something far worse than death and you will all watch as I destroy her. You can't help her. All your efforts are in vain. I will win. I will prevail! And she will be left with nothing because I will take from her everything but life itself." Says Gao, with an evil cackle.


	12. Chapter 12

Still Chase's P.O.V.

"You'll never defeat us, Gao. We're a family," says Adam.

"We'll see about that. You'll never find me in time. By the time you get here, Bree will be no more." he laughs maliciously.

Leo speaks again, and the camera is directed toward him, "Do you see why I have to stay? We'll be okay as long as guys don't come." he says, emphasising the last two words.

"Leo, we're coming. Bree, don't worry. We won't let them hurt you. It's going to be okay. We're on our way." I say.

"No, Chase, that's what we've been trying to tell you! They want you to come. They're setting you u-" A hand comes over Leo's mouth before he can say more.

"Stay strong, guys. We'll be there soon!" Says Mr Davenport, "I love you guys."

"Well, that's all the time we have for today. Hope to see you soon, Davenports!" says Gao cheerfully before ending the call.

We are silent a moment, then Adam breaks the silence, "Guys, what are we going to do? They want to hurt Bree. I can't let them do that!"

"I know, Adam. But without knowing their location, there's no way to find them." I say somberly.

"There has to be a way! Look, I recorded the whole call. Maybe there's something there that will help us find them." he says, pulling up his video onto the screen.

We fast forward the footage and see nothing. But Mr. Davenport cries, "Stop! I saw something!"

I pause the tape and look closely. I see Sebastian standing in the background, holding up something. "What is it?" asks Adam, looking closely at the screen.

"It's a number," replies Mr. Davenport, "52571874690012"

"What does it mean?" asks Douglas.

"It's a code," I say, typing quickly on the computer, " but why would Sebastian be giving us a code to help us?" I ask as I type.

"Oh, I know!" Says Adam, "Maybe Sebastian is still in love with Bree and he wants to save her!"

"Hmm... That's possible, I suppose, but what about his past. He hurt Bree before, so why would he have trouble with doing it again?" asks Douglas.

"Well, first let's figure out what the code means," says Mr. Davenport, "Chase, do you have it?"

"One moment; yes! I have it! It's a code for the door at the warehouse." I say excitedly.

"What warehouse?" asks Mr. Davenport.

I look to Douglas, "I know what warehouse." he says.

"Well let's go! Chase, do you have the coordinates and the code?" asks Mr. Davenport excitedly.

"Yes, I have them. I'll put on my mission suit and then we'll be ready to go." I say, hurrying over to my capsule.

Adam walks into his capsule as well and we are in our mission suits in a moment. When we come out of our capsules, Douglas and Mr. Davenport are ready to go as well. "Let's go get them!" says Adam, running outside through the tunnels.

We all follow him, excited to get Bree back.

When we arrive at the warehouse, I realize that it's the one where Marcus had been buried, years ago. I type in the code and a door opens up. We all walk in, battle ready. But what we see is nothing like we had expected. I see Sebastian, and my first instinct is to hit him with everything I've got, but I hold off. I look around the room and see that he is alone. "Where is everyone? Where's Bree?" asks Adam.

"She isn't here. They left as soon as the call ended, but I stayed behind to warn you," he says in a quiet voice, "Don't come to the warehouse. Don't come get Bree. Leo and I will get her out, but if you come she will die."

"Are you threatening us, Sebastian?" I shout.

"No! Listen to me! I know that if you guys show up, she will be killed. Dr. Gao doesn't want her to be killed, but she will die if you come. The plan is to let you watch her suffer. Don't come; please!" he pleads.

I can see that he's telling the truth, so I don't hit him. "Alright, we'll hold off until we can make a better plan. But if she's not back by tomorrow, we're going in. Where is she?" I ask.

"I'm not going to tell you, Chase. If I tell you, you won't be able to resist going after her. But I will tell you that her GPS tracker has been turned back on and you can find her through her signal now. If you love her, Chase, give me time to get her out before you come. I know you love her. I know you all do. So please let me save her." he says.

With that, he leaves. Adam punches a wall, causing the building to shake. "We had her. We had her and we lost her," he says.

Douglas places his hand on his shoulder, "We'll get them, Adam. We'll get them."

He breaks then; I can see it in his eyes. "But that's my baby sister! My baby sister and my little brother are somewhere out there and we have the ability to find them, but we're just going to sit around and wait. That's my little sister! They could be hurting her and Leo. I can't just sit around and wait like this while they are in danger! Especially now that we can find them!" He exclaims.

"We have to talk to talk to Donny first, Adam. We can't do anything until we talk to him and figure out what to do." Douglas says, walking toward the door.

I see a pained look on his face. "I lost one child here. I'm not going to lose another."


	13. Chapter 13

Chase's P.O.V.

We rush home, eager to go get them. Adam and I grab our gear and are about to head out the door when Mr. Davenport stops us. "Guys, wait! We can't go yet. We have no idea what we are getting into. Besides, neither of you have slept in days. You're not prepared for battle." he explains.

"But we have to go get them now! Who knows what could happen in an hour we waste preparing!" I exclaim.

"We will go in the morning. I will not discuss this anymore. Get some rest; we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." he says, walking away.

Adam looks angry. I'm upset too. They could get really hurt in the hours we waste here. We sulk off to our capsules. We have been using our capsules in the old lab during our stay here. I try to sleep, but I can't stop thinking about them. I need to get to them now. I stand there in my capsule for an hour or two, feeling guilty about not going. I look to see that Adam is fast asleep. I quietly slip out of my capsule and grab my gear. I look back to the house to make sure no one noticed that I'm gone. It seems that everyone is sleeping soundly. I walk a few blocks before turning on my GPS locator. It doesn't take long to track down Bree's signal. They aren't too far away, but the location surprises me. They've been under our noses the whole time. They're at the academy.

I hurry back to the hydro loop and hope that it's quiet enough not to wake the others. Thankfully, even though the hydro loop squeaks a bit, no one wakes up. I hop inside and ride to the island. When I get there, I see that everyone is already asleep. I quietly make my way to the south end of the island where the underground warehouse is. When I get there, all I see is sand and a bit of grass here and there. No door or entryway into the warehouse. I then remember the time when we faced off Marcus at Douglas's warehouse. There was a secret door at that warehouse, so why shouldn't there be one here? I search for a hidden door for several minutes but find nothing. I decide to take a step back and think: what would an evil mastermind do? I suddenly get an idea and jump into the water. It takes my eyes a moment to get adjusted to the salt water, but soon I see a door hidden by a wall of seaweed. I quickly swim to it and try to open it. It won't open that easily; I should have known that. I see a small indentation in the wall by the door. It looks like the outline of a shell. I search the ground for a shell, but there is none that matches the indentation.

I have to come up for air, and when I do, I see a shadow walking along the beach. I duck behind a sand dune and wait for the figure to pass. The moonlight reveals his face as he walks past me; it's a guard from Gao's warehouse. I recognize him because his uniform is the same as the one Sebastian had on earlier today, and the one that arcus was wearing in the video. He ducks behinds a sand dune, and I'm afraid that he's seen me, but he says nothing and continues walking toward the sea. He holds a shell in his hand. One that looks like the indentation on the wall. I sneak up behind him and pull out my laser bow. He sees the light and turns around, only to be met with a massive blow to the head. He crumples to the ground and I switch our clothes, taking the shell.

I pull his uniform on and see that it has a built-in oxygen tank. I hold the shell tightly and jump into the water once again. This time, I use the oxygen tank to help me breathe underwater. What I wouldn't do for Adam's underwater breathing ability! I find the door once again and place the shell in the indentation. The door opens and I swim inside. Soon the water is shallow enough to walk instead of swim. At the end of the tunnel is another door, which opens when I put the shell into the opening at the middle of the door. I had taken off the oxygen mask a few meters back and thrown it into the water, but now decided to go back to get it since I might need it to escape. I find the mask and hurry back to the door. Thank goodness it's still open.

When I walk through the door, I pass through a giant blow dryer and am dry within seconds. I creep through the halls of the warehouse, seeing a wrestling arena and viewing box along the way. I see a door at the end of a hallway. There are six guards sleeping in front of it. That must be the place where they are keeping Bree and Leo! Hardly anyone is awake around here, so it's easy for me to insert a sleeping drug into each of the already sleeping guards. Once that is taken care of, I slowly open the door, which is, surprisingly, unlocked. Why is the door unlocked? It doesn't make sense. The door makes a squeaking noise as I open it, so I only open it wide enough for me to get through. I walk inside, closing the door behind me. The lighting is very dim in the room. There is only one light bulb, high above my head on the ceiling. That's probably why I didn't see it coming when I was hit on the head from behind.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Well, guys, it's almost time again for another bonus chapter! I currently have 2,963 views and 25 reviews for this story and when we reach 3,000 views and 30 reviews, you will get another bonus chapter! Yay! Keep reading and reviewing and thank you for all of the reviews so far! I'm glad you all are liking this story and I hope you continue to enjoy it!

Bree's P.O.V.

It's night now, and Leo and I are back in our cell. All the guards have gone and we are alone. We are both laying down on our respective cots, facing each other and talking a bit. "Now that they have our signals, how long do you think it will take them to find us?" I ask.

"Not long. Though they probably won't come tonight. It's late now, I think, and they will want to put together a strategy. Maybe they'll be here in the morning." he replies, turning over and staring up at the ceiling.

"I just wish they wouldn't come. You and I could get out of this ourselves. I almost broke ground over there the other day." I say, pointing to the corner of the wall where I've been digging with the spoons we get for dinner.

He laughs lightly and says,"You should probably get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Do you think it will be okay?" I ask, pulling at the loose thread on my blanket.

"You are going to be just fine, Bree. I won't let them hurt you," he replies.

I sigh, "I'm so not ready for this. You can probably sleep too. I'm sure Sebastian is back by now."

He nods and closes his eyes. I close mine as well but open them a second later when I hear a squeaking noise. The door opens a bit and Leo and I both jump up. A shadowy figure walks in. I can't see too well, but I can tell that he's a guard by his uniform. It's clear that he can't see, so Leo grabs a rock from the ground and hits him from behind. The figure moans and crumples to the ground. "That'll teach you not to come in here without permission!" says Leo, bending down to identify the man. He turns the man over so that he is lying on his back. When I see his face I gasp. I sit down on the ground and gather his head in my arms, laying it my lap. "Leo! You hit Chase!" I exclaim.

He sits down beside me and gasps, "How did he get in here?" Leo asks in surprise.

"I don't know. Why is he alone? Where are the others? Why is he wearing a guard's uniform?" I ask.

Leo simply shrugs, standing up to get the extra bottle of water. We usually share one and save the other for when we don't get lunch. He returns with the water bottle and hands it to me. I giggle a bit as I pour some on Chase's face. He looks like a little baby when he's sleeping. Chase wakes up slowly and looks up at me. "Where am I? Is this Heaven?" he asks, touching my face.

I laugh, "Oh, far from it! We are in a cell in an evil mad man's lair."

"Oh, I'm sorry." he blushes, "I just thought you were an angel."

It's my turn to blush as I help him stand up. He raises his hand to the back of his head and grimaces. "Ow!" he exclaims.

I frown and help him sit down on my cot. When he sees my face clearly, he realizes who I am and blushes again. "So I look like an angel, huh?" I tease, sitting beside him.

"Um, I, uh, er, well, it, I didn't know it was you." he stutters, running a hand through his hair.

I laugh again, "And how does that matter? Anyway, how did you get here? And where are the others? We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Yeah, I kinda came by myself. Mr. Davenport wanted to wait until tomorrow, but I thought of how many horrible things could happen in one night and, I had to come," he says quickly.

"You shouldn't have come, Chase," I say, standing up and walking away from him.

He gets a confused look on his face, and asks, "Why? I just didn't want anything to happen to you."

I let out an exasperated sigh and try to explain it to him, "I told you not to come! You should have listened to me! Why did you come! Look, the deal is that I am safe until you and the others come. Gao wants you all to watch me suffer. As soon as the others get here, I'm toast. Until now, I was safe. When they find you, I'll be taken out of here. Sebastian told me about it. There's an arena out there waiting for me. You and the others, along with Leo, will be put inside a viewing box that will be locked from the outside. I will be out inside the arena along with an android, specifically designed to destroy me. The android and I will fight until I am defeated."

He still looks confused as he says, "But you can win Bree. I've seen you fight. You can take out three guys at once! One android doesn't stand a chance against you!"

I take a deep breath and continue explaining it to him." He will have bionics; super strength and super speed. I will have none of those abilities. I will be normal; human. And it won't be a normal fight either. Chase, they don't want to kill me. They want to destroy me."

It takes him a minute to understand what I'm trying to say. To be honest, I didn't fully understand it when Sebastian explained it to me at first either. At last, he seems to get it. His eyes widen and he stands up, walking over to me. He pulls me into his arms and holds onto me as if I would fly away if he let go. And he just whispers,"No," over and over.

When he finally pulls back, he holds onto my shoulders and looks me dead in the eyes. "I won't let that happen to you." he breathes.

I shake my head, and he pulls me close again. I bury my face in his shoulder and sigh. I step away again and look at my feet. "Well, there is one way..." I say, looking up at him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chase's P.O.V.

I hold her for only a minute. It feels good to be in her arms again after so long. She pulls away from my embrace. She looks at the ground and then up at me. She looks almost scared. "Well, there is one way..." she says slowly.

I became excited and grabbed her elbows, "What is it?" I asked.

"Well, I don't think it would work. Nevermind," she says, becoming almost shy.

"No, tell me. At least, it could be something to consider. And I would do anything to help you escape from here unscathed. If it would get you out of here unharmed, I'll do it. No matter what it is." I say with passion.

"No, Chase. It's not something that we could do. It would be too weird. I don't think I could do it." she replies, sitting down on her cot.

"Would that android be a better choice? Would you rather he kill you?" I ask, getting frustrated.

Would she just tell me?! "He won't kill me. Gao said that I wasn't to be killed," she says in a strong voice.

I scoff, "You think his word means anything? If that android has super strength and super speed, you will die, Bree. No matter what Gao said, you can't survive that much force. I don't want you to die. I can't lose you again."

Her face softens a bit."I don't want to die either, but I also don't want to hurt you. I'm sure I'll be fine."

I sit down beside her and face her, "Bree, listen to me! Whatever it is, you can tell me. We can talk about it. We may decide not to do it, but let's, at least, talk about it."

She takes my hands in hers and looks down at her feet. "Sebastian said that during the ceremony there would be a time for a sacrifice to be made. He said that Dr. Gao would offer me a way out. Instead of me fighting the android, I would choose either you or Adam to take his place. But I can't do that to you, Chase! Or Adam either. When the ceremony is over, my sacrifice will be taken to this cell and kept here for awhile longer. I don't want to lose either of you. I couldn't stand it if either you or Adam got hurt because of me. I can't do it, Chase. I'll be fine with the android. I'll figure out something. I, I just-"

I cut her off and say, "Bree! I would do anything for you! You know that! I would even do this if it meant that you would get to go home and not be hurt. I, I love you too much to lose you because of this."

She stands up and walks over near the door and stares at the wall, her back toward me. I look over to Leo, who is sitting on his cot, with a confused look on my face. He shrugs and I walk over to him. "Why is she acting like this? I tell her that she means the world to me and that I love her, and she walks away. I don't understand." I say as he stands up, folding his arms across his chest, copying me.

"You know, being here has really brought the two of us closer together. We have gotten to know each other so much better now that we have been through this together. I mean, I know her fears about this. I've heard her cry about it and talk to both Sebastian and me about the details of what is going to happen to her. I never saw her cry before this. I always thought she was so strong and tough and brave. I think she's even stronger and braver now, but she's still scared. She knows exactly what's going to happen, and it scares her. She may be the strongest, bravest, toughest girl I know, but she's still just a normal girl. She doesn't want this. And she's scared that she's going to be hurt. But what scares her, even more, is the thought of you getting hurt. She's like your big sister; she's always taken care of you. She loves you so much! She loves you more than her own life and more than her own health and happiness. That's why this is so hard for her. She wants to be okay. She doesn't want to be hurt, but she couldn't stand it if you got hurt because of her." he explains.

"But I thought she said it could be Adam or me. Why are you acting like I'm the only option?" I ask.

"Because you are! You were always the only option. Adam's strength would be too much, and I'm not an acceptable option. It's you, Chase. It's always been you." he replies.

I take a deep breath and run a hand through my hair. "So what do I do? How do I fix it?" I ask.

He looks me in the eye and says, " You go over there and tell her that you love her, and then you listen to her. You listen to her fears and her worries, and you don't try to fix it; you just listen." he says, sitting back down on his cot.

I stand there for a minute; frozen in thought. "Well don't just stand there! Go get her!" he exclaims, pushing me toward her.

I look back at him and grin, "Thanks, Leo."

He smiles and nods. I walk up to Bree and wrap my arms around her from behind. She turns her head to look at me. All she says is, "Chase,"

"I'm sorry." I say.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey guys! So, I am heading to cap today! I am really excited for it and I know it's going to be a lot of fun! I am going to be on a mission trip all next week as well, so I'm going to post the next chapter next Monday. Also, we have 3,562 views and 28 reviews, so when I get back from camp and see 30 reviews, I will post a bonus chapter. This will be either Saturday or Sunday. Alright, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Have a wonderful week! :) :)

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Chase's P.O.V. (Still)

She gets a confused look on her face, "For what?"

"I didn't listen to you. I should have been more considerate. I just want you to know, I love you." I say as she turns around in my arms to face me.

She looks down at her feet for a moment and then back up to me. "I know, I love you too."

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" shouts Leo from his cot.

We both turn to look at him, breaking apart in the process. "What?" I ask.

"Out of all the guys who have come in here to profess their love to you, you've only said it back to one. That would be you, Chase," he smirks.

I look at Bree, "How many guys have come in here to tell you that they love you?" I ask.

"Just one." she replies, glaring at Leo, "Sebastian. I told him that I didn't love him, but he said he loves me anyway."

"I still don't trust him," I say.

"I know, and you have good reason not to trust him. But he is the reason I'm still here safe and sound," she says.

"I will give him credit for that then," I say, pulling her close again before pulling away with my hands still resting on her shoulders. "Are you sure you're okay? Nothing happened to you at all?" I ask.

"I'm perfectly fine." she replies simply.

"I'm so glad," I say into her hair.

She takes a deep breath, "Me too."

"So what has been happening here anyway?" I ask.

"Not much. Our biggest problem is boredom, really. In the beginning, we had a bit of training to keep us busy. They showed us the arena and what kind of fighting we will be doing tomorrow. It was scary at first, but then I started to have fun beating up the guys I was training with. It made me feel like I could actually win. Then I realised that they were doing that on purpose. They wanted me to try my hardest and then fail because all of my energy was spent. After that, I quit training. Now Sebastian brings us our food every morning and night and Leo and I are pretty much left to ourselves most of the time. We walk around and talk. Sometimes we try to make up games to pass the time. We started to dig with our spoons from our meals, but we haven't gotten very far." she says, pointing to the wall where a few metal spoons are laying.

"It's probably good that you didn't get through. This place is underwater." I remark.

"Where are we anyway?" she asks.

"We're on, or under, or actually, technically beside the island. You were under our noses the whole time." I laugh.

"Really? Huh..." she says, thinking about it for a bit.

"So do you want to tell me what is going to happen tomorrow then?" I ask.

She takes a deep breath and then speaks, "Well, When the others get here, I'll be brought into the arena and you will all be put into a viewing box. I've told you this already. And then The android will come out to meet me. Right before he hits me, Gao will announce that I may choose a sacrifice to take the place of the android. I'm supposed to pick either you or Adam to come up and take his place and we will fight. If it's you, it won't be a long fight. Sebastian says that with you I should just lie down and let you come to me. It will be less painful that way. Sebastian said that you should do it because Adam's strength would be too much for me. I just don't want you to get hurt, Chase. I don't want things to change with us."

"But things do change. Change is inevitable. It happens. But one thing that will never change is my love for you. I won't let this tear us apart, Bree. We will stay strong together." I say.

"I'll never stop loving you either, but don't you think that this will change us?" she asks.

"Of course, it will change us. I've never even kissed anyone before. But we will still be ourselves. We will still love each other." I say.

"Okay. Well, then, I guess we're going to do this," she says hesitantly.

"I'm so sorry, Bree. This isn't what I want either. But this is how it has to be because I can't let you die like this. And even if you did somehow survive, you would be scarred for life. And I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I couldn't help you. And that would kill me. I couldn't stand to see you hurting." I say.

She sighs and walks to her cot. She pulls out a white bundle and sets it down on the cot. She motions for me to come near. "Sebastian gave me this yesterday before the video call. It's for the ceremony."

She opens up the bundle and I see a vial of red liquid and a white cloth. "What is it?" I ask.

"Fake blood and a cloth. It's so that we don't have to actually do the ceremony. We can just fake it." she explains.

Why didn't she say this before? This is so much better than what I had thought! Still bad, but better. She continues explaining, "We use the cloth for... going through the motions, and the blood for after it's over. They want to see blood, so we have to pour this over ourselves discretely when we're about finished."

"Okay, so we don't actually have to... that's good. But that blood is going to be gross!" I say.

She laughs, " Yeah, but it's better than real blood, I guess."

She frowns and I lift up her head so that she looks at me," Hey, are you sure you're okay with all of this?" I ask.

She nods and fakes a smile, "Yeah I'm good. I just never thought it would be like this."

I nod and purse my lips, "Yeah, me either. But, at least, I know that you love me." I reply.

She shrugs, "I guess you are better than a robot." she says with a small laugh.

I laugh as well, "I would hope so."

Maybe everything will be alright. Just maybe.


	17. Chapter 17

Adam's P.O.V.

It's almost midnight now, but I can't sleep. I can't help thinking about Bree and Leo. I hope they're okay. Well, I know they aren't okay, but I just hope that they aren't hurt. I close my eyes and try to sleep, but I just can't push the image of Bree and Leo tied up out of my head. They could be being hurt right now, and I can't do anything about it because I have to wait until morning to rescue them. I hear a noise and open my eyes to see Chase sneaking out of his capsule. I pretend to be asleep as he leaves, but as soon as he is gone I step out of my capsule and follow Chase to the hydro loop. If Chase is going to save them tonight, he's going to need backup. And I'm the strength; it's what I do. I wait a few minutes before following him in the hydro loop and then speed over to the island. Everyone at the academy is already asleep except... Perry. She's up and walking around the main entrance with a flashlight. When she sees me she shines the light right in my eyes and I yelp at the brightness. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she questions me.

"I'm on my way to get Bree and Leo. They are somewhere around here, but I don't know where. Chase is already on his way there and I'm trying to follow him. I need that thingy, the, uh, PSG?" I reply, not able to think of the right word.

"You mean a GPS? We have one around here somewhere. But if Chase knows where they are, why not just have him tell you?" She asks.

Oh! A GPS! That's what it's called! "Well, I sorta snuck out. We weren't supposed to get them until tomorrow, but Chase left and so I decided to come too in case he needed backup." I explain.

"Well, well, well. Sneaking out, huh? I guess it's for a good cause. But Dougy and Don are going to be pretty upset when they find you gone in the morning." she remarks.

"Yeah, but I couldn't sleep thinking about how they could be getting hurt right this very minute. I was going to try to wait until tomorrow, but then Chase left, so I did too. Now, where is that GPS?" I ask, looking around.

She shrugs and starts looking as well. "Maybe you should get some of the students who are left to help you when you attack tomorrow morning," she suggests.

I have to admit, it's actually a good idea. "How many are left?" I ask.

"Oh, there's still about seven teams still training. I'd say you could have about twenty students to help you," she replies.

I smile; that is more than I had expected. "Good; that's a good number. Uh, I don't know how to do it. I'm not very good at strategies. That's more Chase's thing. Bree and Leo can even do it a little, but I'm hopeless." I say.

"Well, in a battle you want to give a big attack to scare the enemy, and then have extra reinforcements for later on when your army on the front lines is getting tired and beaten. I'd say send about twelve or so in for the first rush, and then have the others back in case you need them later on," she says.

"Well, Perry, for everything you aren't, you are good at battle plans." I compliment.

"Thank you." she smiles.

I soon find the GPS, and Perry helps me figure out how to use it. I walk along the beach, tracking Bree's signal the best I can. I see a figure lying face down in the sand a few yards away from me. Thinking it could be Chase, I rush to him. He's wearing Chase's clothes, but as I come closer, I see that the man is not my brother. Chase must have taken him out and switched their clothes.

The GPS tells me to go into the ocean, but how does that make sense? Why would it tell me to go into the ocean? It's not like there are any warehouses floating on the ocean! Why is it telling me to go into the- Oh! Maybe the warehouse is under the water! It's a good thing I can breathe under water. I run into the ocean and take a minute to let my eyes get adjusted to the salt water. I dive down deeper into the water. When I'm a few feet down, I can make out a door. I swim closer and see that it has a passcode. he passcode is a shell. I search for the right shell, but none of the shells I find fit. I can't break the door down; that would cause too much noise and disturbance. So how do I get in? I hear a noise and hide behind some tall sea anemone. I see a guard come out from the door and swim toward the surface. As soon as he is gone, I swim to the door and slip in just before it closes. I swim toward another door as the water level slowly drops.

The door opens and I am dry in seconds due to a giant wind blowing on me. It reminds me of my bionic air conditioner ability. It's totally awesome. I walk through the halls. No one is awake. There are six guards asleep in front of a door at the end of a hall. I decide to check it out because it seems interesting that they would all be asleep there like that. So many sleeping guards to draw mustaches on! I open the door, which is, surprisingly, unlocked and enter the room.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Hey! I just started summer classes at college, play practice, and I'm working an extra day. Not to mention we just lost three seniors from our praise team because they graduated and now we are trying to do this thing all by ourselves. As you can see, I am very busy so I' really sorry that this is getting to you just now. Thanks for being so patient over the last couple of weeks. Also, I don't remember if I gave you all a bonus chapter for the 30 reviews yet so could someone please let me know if I have or not? If not, I will post it tomorrow. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Love you guys! :)

Adam's P.O.V.

The first thing I see when I enter the room is Bree. She is lying on her cot, all snuggled up to Chase. He is so good at comforting her. He's a good brother for letting her lay on his arm like that. I wouldn't do it. But I don't think he sees it as his brotherly duty. Things have been changing for us. I've noticed small things that are different. Like the way, Chase looks at Bree when another guy is flirting with her. He scowls and acts very protective of her. Or when I'm making fun of Chase, Bree doesn't join in as much as she used to. And when she does, she only does it half-heartedly. Even their attitudes toward me are changing. Chase thinks of me as a little kid, even though I'm two years older. Bree, who used to usually side with me on most things, now backs Chase up instead. It's like the two of them have formed this secret alliance. Maybe it's how close they are in age. They're only about ten months apart. Maybe I'm changing too. I think back to when we were little. When we knew nothing about the world. Life was so simple then. I would tease my siblings and we would train together and have fun with each other. That was before the world hit us with adulthood and reality. I watched both Bree and Chase almost die several times. I almost died a few times too. I watched Bree's heart get broken by so many guys. I just wanted to knock their lights out. I did it to a few. I watched Chase and Leo get bullied by Trent. They were humiliated. I watched as Mr. Davenport told us that we weren't his kids. It broke my heart to think that he wasn't my father. And then he almost died a few times as well. And then there's Douglas. And Marcus. And Daniel. I could go on and on. Things are changing. I just hope we survive this one. I look back at my baby siblings and realize something that they've been trying to tell me for a long time now. I don't think they think we're siblings anymore.

It takes awhile for them to notice me. I think Leo would have noticed, but he's snoring over on his cot. When they finally do realize that I'm standing there, they don't recognize me at first. Chase stands up, and shoves Bree back onto the cot when she tries to get up with him. He walks over to me and recognizes me. He pushes me inside and shuts the door quietly. Bree looks confused, as she still can't see who I am. I walk over to her, and her face lights up when she recognizes me. She stands up and gives me a big hug, pulling me down onto the cot with her. Chase walks over and tells us to be quiet. I hug her back, happy to see her again after so long. "Adam! I thought you were asleep!" Chase whisper-shouts.

"I know, but I couldn't sleep thinking about how Bree and Leo could be getting hurt." I say, pulling Bree closer to me, "When you left, I did too. We have to get them out of here, Chase. It's not safe to stay much longer. Perry has some of the students ready for battle in the morning, but I want to get these two out of here before then."

I stand up and face Chase. "This place is underwater, and I only have one oxygen mask. You can breathe underwater, so it's no problem for you, but how do we get them out?" he says.

"I don't know. Do you have a plan?" I ask, running a hand through my hair.

"The only plan I have is the last resort plan. Actually, it's Bree's plan. Anyway, I have no idea what kind of place this is. I don't know the dimensions and I don't know any way out other than the underwater tunnel." he says.

I sigh and he sits down beside Bree. "Well, at least, we're together now. All of us siblings." I say, sitting down briefly to hug my siblings, "What is the last resort plan anyway, Chase?"

"Well, er, it's a bit complicated. I, uh, have to fight Bree. And, uh, I have to do everything but kill her. I won't hurt her, of course. I could never do that. But it has to look like I'm hurting her. That's why it's the last resort. I want to do anything but that." he explains.

I'm confused. I don't understand what he means at first. Everything but kill her? Oh...

"But, we can't do that! That would be, wrong! I-I, how? Why would you do that?" I stutter.

"Well, it's not like we have a choice, really. They designed an android specifically for the job. The android has super strength and super speed to match you and Bree. She can't survive that, Adam. I had to do something!" he says, trying to get me to understand his logic.

"Isn't there any other way?" I exclaim.

"Only if you want to do it instead. But your super strength might be too much and if you become emotional, you could glitch. And if you glitch, you could be dangerous." he explains.

"I guess I was right," I say.

Chase gives me a questioning look, so I sigh and continue. "I was thinking earlier, when I first came in and saw you two lying there like you were, how things are changing for us. I guess I just have to accept that we aren't siblings anymore."


	19. Chapter 19

Bree's P.O.V.

"What? Adam, what are you talking about?" I ask.

"I'm talking about you two! You two are always together now. You never hang out with me anymore. Bree, you used to think Chase was boring and that I was more fun to be around. Now you are always with him and almost never with me. Chase, we used to be brothers! We used to have fun together, but now you treat me like a little kid. And before, you two were close, but never like this! What are you thinking? Do you think now that we aren't siblings anymore it makes it okay to do all of these romantic things with each other? Fine, if that's what you want, you can have it. But don't bother to call me your brother anymore." He spits out.

Chase is red in the face, but he's not blushing. "Adam, you are crazy! We haven't done any 'romantic' things with each other. I have always loved and comforted her. You're the one always hugging her! We are still brothers, Adam!"

"I don't hug her like you do. Not like you just did. You are both in denial. Just get out with it already." he snaps.

I sit here watching this all play out. Chase has gotten off the cot and is now standing up with Adam as they argue. I get up and walk over to Leo's cot. I sit down on the edge, and the weight change causes him to wake up. I'm surprised he hadn't already woken up from all of the arguings. They are still lashing out at one another. They haven't even noticed that I've gotten up. "What's Adam doing here? And why is he fighting with Chase?" asks Leo in a groggy voice.

"He got here a little while ago. Chase and I were almost asleep when he came in. He saw us lying on the cot together and is throwing a big fit about it." I explain.

He rubs his eyes and blinks a few times. "Oh... Well, they should be quieter so people can sleep. Especially me. I haven't slept for almost two weeks!"

I laugh lightly, "Yeah. I wish they would just get over it. Adam said we aren't siblings anymore and Chase said that he is crazy. I just want the to stop fighting. I think they are upset about the thing tomorrow."

"Probably. I'll see if I can talk some sense into them. You can stay here for now if you want to." he says, standing up and stretching a bit.

I smile and lie down, "Thanks, Leo."

But he is already on the battlefield.

I hear something unintelligible, but it's Leo's voice. The response is more unintelligible language. Eventually, all three of them walk over to me and sit down on the cot. I sit up so I can be level with them. Chase is where my head had been laying, Adam is at my feet and Leo is sitting near my stomach. "I'm sorry, Bree," Begins Adam, "I'm just really worried about all of this. I didn't mean to make you feel uneasy about doing this. I know it's the only way to keep you safe. I hope I didn't hurt you."

I smile and hug him. "I'll be okay. We don't really have a choice but to go through with it. We will be just fine."

"I'm sorry too, Bree. I shouldn't have gotten mad at him. I should have been more focused on how it was affecting you." says Chase.

I smile at him, but don't give him a hug this time. Leo smiles at me. I wonder how he got it all sorted out. We all get off the cot and return to our own sleeping places. Adam bunks with Leo, and Chase with me. This time, there are no protests. "Goodnight, guys! Tomorrow we get out of here," says Leo cheerfully.

I smile as Chase wraps his arm around my waist. Tomorrow we leave. Maybe everything will be okay after all. For the first time in two weeks, I fall asleep and dream of good things instead of bad. I dream of all of us together again; happy.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I just wanted to tell you guys that I am really excited because I was asked to open for my town's fourth of July celebration! I'm really excited, guys! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter! Love you guys!

Chase's P.O.V.

I wake up feeling very warm. My arm is asleep. I open my eyes slowly and see Bree lying on my arm. Ah, that's why my arm is asleep. She shifts a bit and turns away from me so that her back is now facing me. I wrap my arm around her waist and free my dead arm from her grip. I close my eyes and am about to fall asleep again when I feel her move beside me. She takes the arm that is around her waist and squeezes my hand. I open my eyes and see that she is facing me again. Now she is awake and looking at me. "What, are you watching me sleep?" I ask jokingly.

"I could ask the same of you." She replies simply.

I laugh softly, careful not to wake Adam and Leo. She lays her head on my shoulder again and sighs. "How much longer do we have here, Chase?" She asks.

"Not much longer. The others will be here soon, I think." I reply.

"I know it might sound silly because we are in a cell in this evil mastermind's lair, but I feel safe right now. I just, I want you to know that I know that I feel safe with you." She says.

"I know what you mean. So, we should just enjoy this while we have the chance. Everything could change in a couple of hours." I say grimly.

"The important things won't change. You will still be my best friend," she says.

I groan, "Yes, and you will be mine. But things will change if we have to go through with this. We won't be the same as we were before. Our relationship will be different, no matter how hard we try to keep it the same. We will know things about each other that we didn't know before. As much as we don't want it to, our relationship will change. We will change."

"Some things will change. I know that. But we will still be best friends. Promise me that we will still be best friends." she says, her forehead feeling warm on my neck.

I look at her lying there. It's not what you would think of when you think of a scene like this. It's not all roses and lilies. She hasn't showered in two weeks, so her hair is really greasy and gross. It hasn't been brushed in about that long either. She smells pretty bad because of not taking a shower for so long. Her clothes are dirty from wearing them so long, and there's a tear in the sleeve of her shirt. Her face is dirty and she looks like a mess. Any normal person would be repulsed by her. However, I am not a normal person. She may not be clean and gorgeous right now, but she is my best friend, and I love her. To me, she is beautiful. On the outside, she may seem a little gross, but I know that on the inside she has a beautiful heart. And even as dirty and tired as she looks right now, her eyes still have that sparkle that I have grown to love. She is determined and positive even through all of this. And that is what makes her beautiful to me. "I promise," I say softly, squeezing her hand.

"So, if we have to do this, what exactly is going to happen? I think you told me last night, but I was just so happy to see you that I forgot most of what you said." I say.

"I mean, we get up there, use the fake blood, and fake it. Then you carry me out of there. What else is there?" she replies.

I can see that she doesn't want to talk about it, but I know that we need to talk about it. "I think we need to talk about it, Bree. If we aren't comfortable even talking about it, how are we supposed to actually do it?" I say softly.

She scoffs, "What, do you want a step-by-step?" she asks sarcastically.

I surprise her by saying, "Well, not exactly, but we should plan what we are going to do if we have to do it. We should be prepared."

She frowns, sighs, then speaks. "I will be in the arena. You will be in the viewing box. The android will come up and just before we begin to fight, Gao will say that there may be a sacrifice. You will come up and the android will leave. Then I guess we'll sit down and, well, fake it, I guess." She says casually.

"We won't fight at all then? Alright. I guess you should hide the blood and the cloth now so you can be ready for it if it happens." I reply.

"Chase?" she says in a small voice, "Do you think, would it be, will you kiss me?"

I'm surprised by the question and stutter out a reply, "Uh, um, well, I don't know."

She frowns and looks a bit downcast. It confuses me. Why would she want that? "Oh," she says.

She turns her face away from me, but I place my hand on her chin and make her face me again. "Why?" I ask simply.

"Oh, it's silly. It's nothing, really," she says, a fake cheerfulness in her voice.

"No, tell me. If that's what you want, I can do it." I say softly.

"I just, I always had this picture in my head of what it would be like. I guess I always figured I'd be married. I don't know why. I just never really thought of doing it before then. Anyway, I would be on my honeymoon in a hotel room with chocolate and roses and music on some tropical island somewhere. And I guess I just always pictured myself with the man I loved, my husband, there with me and we would dance and be goofy and just mess around. And then, when it was getting dark, we would climb under the covers and cuddle. And he would tell me that he loved me, and I'd say the same to him. And then he would kiss me. Just plain and simple. Short and sweet. And he would just cover my face with kisses and I would feel safe and loved and protected and cared for. And when it was time, and I was scared, he would stop and tell me that he loves me and that it would be okay. And afterwards, we would just cuddle and tell each other we loved each other again and fall asleep together like that." She says, tears forming in her eyes.


	21. Chapter 21

I feel a tear slip down my cheek as well. "I'm really sorry, Bree. If you don't get that, I'm so sorry. You deserve that. You deserve to feel safe and loved and protected. Look, I just want you to know that I might not have roses and music, and I might not be the man of your dreams, but I do love you. And I want you to feel safe and loved with me. And even if everyone's watching, it's just you and me up there. If you feel scared, just look at me and tell me so. I'll stop and tell you that I love you and that it will be okay. And I'll kiss you all you want. It might not be the way you imagined it, but at least, you have someone who loves you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't do it. Actually, if I didn't love you, I wouldn't even be here. So I want you to know that I do love you. You're safe and loved with me." I say.

She's actually crying a bit now. "I want you to know that I love you too. And you are safe with me. Because I know this will hurt you just as much as it will hurt me. So I want you to know that I love you too." she says.

"I know you do. Here, you should probably hide that cloth now. We should be ready for when they come." I say, breaking the mood.

She stretches her arms and yawns. I laugh lightly. She starts to stand up very slowly. She looks back at me before standing up. I roll my eyes and grab her wrist, pulling her back onto the cot and giving her one last hug. She smiles and stands up. She looks under the cot and pulls out the blood and cloth. I look away as she hides the cloth in her jeans. She then laughs a bit and tells me it's safe to open my eyes. She puts the vial of fake blood in her shoe. I stand up and walk to the door. Maybe there is still a way out. Maybe we can avoid all of this. That light, happy laugh of hers will be gone. The light in her eyes, the soft smile on her lips will disappear after the deeds of the day. And it will be all my fault. I will have taken away the light in her eyes and her beautiful smile and her bubbling laugh. The door opens easily, and the guards are still asleep, but it will be morning soon, and there will be new guards to take their places. Even if we could get out, the device on Bree's wrist would alert the guards in the other parts of the building that she is trying to escape. I tried to figure out a way to turn it off, but it would take me using three abilities at once, and Bree wouldn't let me risk it. She said that if I was to get hurt, there would be no escape for her. I guess she is right. I'm the only way for her to come out of this unscathed. Well, almost unscathed. She says she doesn't mind it. She says it won't change us, but I know better. Once I get back after my week here, everything will have changed. We will both have had time to think about what happened and realize that we can never go back. It will be different. That's why I want to get out of here before that happens. I don't want to do this; this isn't what I want at all. If I can keep it from happening, that would be great. I'll do it if I have to, but I know this isn't what she wants either. I have to try to fix this. I have to try to get her out. I sigh and grab her wrist, pulling her back onto the cot. Both of us sitting down, she looks at me, confused. Before she can say anything, I hold the wrist with the device in one hand and place my fingers on my temple with the other. I close my eyes and begin to disable the device. "Chase, what are you doing?" she asks, worriedly.

I don't reply. I grit my teeth and work harder, trying to figure out the code to disable the device. Finally, I remember the sign Sebastian held up in the video call. Maybe that code will disable the device too! I try it and hear the device shut down. I breathe a breath of relief and open my eyes to see Bree looking at me with concern. "Wake up Adam and Leo. We're getting out of here." I say, my voice weak.

"What did you do, Chase?" she asks suspiciously.

"I disabled the device on your wrist," I say weakly.

I try to look strong as if the shut-down hadn't affected me at all, but I felt very sick. The room had begun to spin and there were three Brees instead of just one. I didn't mind that, of course. "What!? Why did you do that? I told you it was too dangerous!" she exclaims.

"I had to! I can't hurt you, Bree! I can't let you stay here and get hurt!" I reply.

"I'm going to wake up Adam and Leo. Maybe we can get out of here before anyone finds out what you did. But this facility being underwater doesn't really help any of this. Why didn't you think this through?" she says, standing up.

"I wasn't thinking with my head, Bree. I did it because I couldn't see any other way to get you out unharmed. I was only thinking of you." I reply quietly.

She scoffs. "Well, you may save me, but now you might get hurt. We might not all be able to get out in time, especially with you so weak," she says, trying to scold, but her voice filled with emotion.

"I'm okay with that. As long as you and Adam and Leo get out safe, I'm okay with staying here. I'll take whatever they give me." I say with a strength I didn't know I had.

"Well, I'm not okay with it! I would rather just have them destroy me than leave you here to take the brunt of my punishment," she says, walking over to Adam and Leo.

"Bree, I'm sorry! I just couldn't let you go out there and get hurt." I say.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. We need to wake up Leo and Adam and get out of here." she snaps.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: HAppy early 4th of July guys! Have a great holiday! :)

Chase's P.O.V.

I stand up and make my way over to Leo and Adam's cot. There is only one way to wake up Adam without getting punched. "Adam, we have donuts!" I say.

He stands up immediately and looks around. "Where? Where are the donuts?" he asks.

"There are none, buddy. But we had to wake you up. We're leaving, so hurry and let's get out of here." I say.

Bree shakes Leo awake and He slowly sits up. "What's going on?" he asks.

Bree yanks him out of the cot by his arm. "We're leaving. Hurry and let's go!" she says.

I take the oxygen mask from last night and hand it to Bree. "Here, you take this. I can hold my breath for a while and you probably need this more than me." I say.

"No, you just got hurt. You're pretty weak right now. You need it. I can hold my breath." she says, handing it back to me.

I frown, but don't protest. "What about Leo?" Adam asks, "He can't survive down there very long without oxygen."

"We'll have to try to find one on the way out. If we can't he'll just have to hold his breath. It isn't a very long swim. Only about thirty seconds if we hurry." I reply, grabbing the door handle and opening the door.

We head out the door and I shut it behind me. We make it all the way to the sea door before I realize why this won't work. "Guys, I don't have the shell! We can't get out!" I exclaim.

"Oh, do you mean this shell?" asks Adam, holding up the shell.

"Yes! Where did you get that?" I ask.

"I found it in the cell and thought we might need it, so I picked it up." he replies.

I grab it from him and place it in the indentation on the wall. The door opens up and we all run through it. I finally feel a glimmer of hope that we might actually be able to get out of here okay. Then the explosion hits. The whole tunnel shakes and we all hold on to each other to steady ourselves. "What was that?" exclaims Leo.

"I don't know!" I reply, trying to see through the dust.

I hear feet splashing through the water and we turn toward the sound of the footsteps, ready to fight the intruders. "Who is there?" Yells Adam.

"Adam? Is that you?" says a voice from the other end of the tunnel.

"It's Mr. Davenport!" I exclaim, running toward him.

I still can't see well, but I can make out his figure, along with another, who I assume is Douglas. The others follow closely behind me. "Chase! Adam! Are you guys okay?" Asks Mr. Davenport.

"We're fine!" says Adam.

"Well, then when we get home, you two are in a lot of trouble! How did you get in?" he asks.

"That's not important right now. We need to get out of here; fast!" I say, starting to run toward the end of the tunnel.

"Wait, what about Bree and Leo?" says Douglas.

"Aww... Is Uncle Dougy worried about his little princess and his Leo?" says Leo in a baby voice.

"Leo?" asks Douglas, shocked.

"Hey, Douglas." He says casually.

"Bree?" asks Mr. Davenport.

"Hi," she says in a small voice.

I can almost feel her smile. "Guys, we really need to get out of here. I think the tunnel is going to collapse. Did you blow up the tunnel, Douglas?" asks Leo.

"Yeah, I might have done that. But we don't have time to talk about it! Like you said, Leo, we need to leave!" he says sheepishly.

"I don't think that will be necessary." says a voice from behind us.

We all turn around to see a figure standing in the doorway of the facility. "You aren't going anywhere." the figure says.

"Who are you?" asks Douglas.

"I think you would know your own son's voice, dad." he replies.

"Marcus? How did you- never mind, I don't even want to know. I'm leaving with my family." says Douglas, taking Bree's arm and beginning to walk toward the other end of the tunnel.

He uses his molecular kinesis to lift me into the air and pull me over to him. He chokes me with his molecular kinesis. "No! Chase!" cries Bree, running toward me.

"No! G-go, Br-Bree!" I choke out.

Douglas holds her back, but she breaks free from his grip. "I'm not leaving without Chase!" she says, running to me.

She knocks Marcus over, causing him to drop me. I gasp for breath and hold my throat. She comes over to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asks.

I nod and look up at her, smiling slightly. My smile turns to a frown and my eyes widen as Marcus lifts her up with his molecular kinesis, pulling her away from me. "No!" I exclaim, standing up and running after her.

"Thank you, Bree, for your sacrifice. Giving yourself up for your brother. How sweet." he says, pulling her back into the facility.

We all run after her but are quickly apprehended by guards who handcuff us all immediately. Adam tries to break free, but our bionics have been turned off. "It's okay," she says, looking at us.

It reminds me of that time with Troy when we thought we had to kill her to save the rest of the world. She told us it was okay and that she would be alright. "No, Bree! It's not okay! You should have just let him take me!" I say with a growl toward Marcus.

"No. I'm going to be alright. This is the way it has to be, I guess. I'm okay with this. Please, Chase. Let me do this. I love you guys." she says as we are led away from her.

I strain to look back at her, and I see her smiling. Fearless. Strong. Brave. Beautiful. I smile too. She can do this. She will survive. The only question is: will I?


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I'm so sorry about being late! Please forgive me! I have been so busy! I will try very hard to be on time in the future. Aside from that, here is the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chase's P.O.V.

We are led to a large room. It's just as Bree described it. There is a big arena in the middle of the room, a balcony on one side, and a viewing box on floor level on the other side. There's also a training area off to the side. It's a copy of the room we are in now, but smaller. We are led to the viewing box and basically thrown inside. Bree is led up to the arena. I watch as she climbs the steps. When she is inside, I turn around to face Mr. Davenport. "Did you talk to Perry? Did she tell you about the students that are supposed to be coming to help today?" I ask.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously. "No, uh, there was an incident. The students all left to do an emergency mission. Apparently, there was a massive earthquake in northern Africa today. There was a lot of damage and several people injured and killed. They rushed over to help prevent it from happening, but they are still young. They don't know everything yet; not even the smart ones could figure out how to stop it. The last I heard, they were helping with clean up and getting the injured medical care. There is no one coming to help us, Chase." he says in a tired voice.

"What are we going to do? I mean, I-I don't want to do this! We have to save her! We have to do something!" I exclaim, panicking a bit.

"It will be okay, Chase. Just stick to the plan and everything will be alright,okay? You will be fine and so will she." Says Leo, trying to calm me down.

"I think I'm going to be sick. I can't think. My head, I just, I can't do this, Leo. It's too much pain and scars and haunting memories. Just think of the nightmares! I can't, I, we have to figure something out! We have to do something else! We have to, to, I, if we could just, I need..." I trail off, my breathing becoming short.

It's Adam who steps in and brings me back to my senses. "Chase! Wake up! You will do whatever you have to to make sure that our sister comes out of this okay. You know that. Get up and get ready to do this thing already! You will be fine. I know you love her, and that is what makes the difference, Chase. No nightmares. She knows it too. Get your head straight and get ready. It won't be long now before it's time. Look, they are already beginning to explain the fight." he says, motioning to the arena.

We both join Douglas and Mr. Davenport at the front of the viewing box. "Ladies and Gentlemen, or, perhaps _not_ so gentle men, We are here to enjoy a great fight between one of my best androids and the fastest girl in the world, Bree Davenport! Bree's family is here to support her and cheer her on as she faces off against the most powerful android ever created." Gao says in an announcer-type voice.

I lean over to Adam and whisper, "Hey, I thought you were against the plan that Bree and I..."

"I just want her to be safe, okay? If you can keep her safe then I guess... If there's absolutely no other way, I would rather it be you. You are my brother, so I trust you. Just, be careful." he says, a worried frown on his face.

"Let me introduce you to the newer, better, stronger Troy. The Terrible, um, Revengeful, uh, oh well I'm bad at acronyms. On with the show!" Says Dr. Gao.

I see Bree's head snap in the direction of Dr. Gao's hand gesture. From as far away as I am, I can see her face fill with terror. "This wasn't part of the plan!" I say in a tense whisper.

"What are you going to do?" Asks Leo.

"Well, I'm definitely not going to let this disaster happen. We need to get her out of here as quickly as possible!" says Adam.

"I know, but we need to wait it out. We don't have our bionics. We can't just go out there and fix this. Even Leo's bionics were disabled while he was on the way here. I will ake this right. We just need to stick to the plan and everything will work out." I say, trying to calm them as well as myself.

"Wait, what plan?" asks Mr. Davenport.

I groan as I realize that I have to explain the plan to my 'fathers'. Adam Sighs and Leo basically just facepalms.

"Well, um, we did come up with a last resort plan... We really didn't want to have to do it, but it looks like we may have to." I say, trying to satisfy him.

"Well, what is the plan?" Asks Douglas.

Great. Now he's interested too! "Um, it's kind of complicated. It really just involves me going up there and sacrificing myself to save, you know what? It's so hard to explain. Why don't you just see for yourself." I say, trying to climb out of the hole I have gotten myself into.

He seems to accept that and nods. Adam frowns and says, "It's not hard to explain. Chase is going to go up there and fake what the android is supposed to do to Bree. Then he will carry her out and he will have to stay here for a week or so. The rest of us get to leave, but he has to stay here." explains Adam innocently while Leo and I groan.

"What!? Chase, that is way too risky! You could get hurt! You might even make things worse! What are you thinking?" exclaims Mr. Davenport.

"I'm thinking about the promise we made. Do you remember that? We promised to always protect each other. We said we would be there for each other no matter what. I'm just keeping my promise." I reply, my voice louder than I expected.

He studies me for a moment, as if to see if I'm really going to do this. Fianlly he sighs. "I can't stop you, can I." he says, defeated.

I just smirk. "Not a chance."


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: I'm so sorry! I am just ashamed of myself, really. I've been so busy... I'm just so sorry.

Bree's P.O.V.

I walk up the stairs to the arena. I am a little scared. What if something goes wrong and our plan doesn't work? Then again, what if our plan _does_ work? What will happen to our family if Chase and I go through with this? Will we be stronger than before? Or will this tear us apart? Dr. Gao explains a few things about the proceedings to my family. They look worried. I can't hear them from this far away, but I can see Mr. Davenport yelling at Chase. I cringe. What if he doesn't let Chase go through with the plan? There are so many questions, and absolutely no time for answers. I don't listen too closely to what Dr. Gao is saying until I hear a name I thought I would never have to hear again. Troy. He almost killed my family. He almost killed me. Turns out that Dr. Gao rebuilt him and made him even stronger and faster and better than before. Great. This is like y worst nightmare played out all over again. I hope Chase gets up here quickly! I don't want to be around that disgusting android any longer than absolutely necessary. And that means about no time at all. I despise him. I hate him so much. I wish I was strong enough to show him just what I think of him. "Troy, if you please, step into the arena, and we will begin. Are you ready Bree?" says Gao in a sinister voice.

I swallow hard and nod slowly. This had better work. "Good. Then we will proceed. Troy?" He says, gesturing for Troy to come in.

He does and I back away from him a bit. I want to be as far away from him as possible. Troy gets into a fighting stance, and I follow suit. I don't want to be caught off guard if something goes wrong. He looks at me then, straight in the eyes. "Well, Bree, here we are again. I'm going to do what I should have done the first time, little princess. Right here in front of all your family. Won't that be fun? Well, it will be for me. Why don't you just give up and get it over with. You know you won't win. You can't beat me. I've trapped you before and I can certainly do it again. But this time, you won't escape." He says, sending a chill down my spine.

"We'll see about that. I will never surrender to you. Even if you do succeed, you will never win. You. Can't. Break. Me." I say, emphasising each word.

"I will not only break you, I will destroy you. I will destroy your life, your family, and your chances of ever becoming anything more than what you are now. Nothing." he says, spitting the words out.

"You can't destroy my family. It will take more than you, more than this, to do that. We love each other. We are stronger together. We have a bond that can't be broken. Not by you or anyone else. The only person this will destroy is you." I reply, my words holding more strength and power than I knew I had.

Before he can reply, Gao speaks again. "Now, the only way for dear Bree to escape is if one of her family members wishes to sacrifice himself for her. He must trade places with Troy and fight Bree to the best of his ability. He must perform the ritual and complete the ceremony for Bree to go home today. If he does not, Bree will remain here, along with the rest of you. Troy will come back into the arena. And all of it will be for nothing. But, you may choose not to come to her aid. If so, Troy will continue with his original plan of destruction. Bree will choose the man to come and save her. Bree may also choose to accept her fate with Troy. Bree, what have you decided?" he asks, turning to look at me.

I look at my family. I can't see them too well, but I know they are waiting for me to answer. I hesitate. I don't want any of the to get hurt. What if Gao finds out about our plan? What if this is all for nothing? Troy looks at me and laughs. "They don't have the nerve. No one will save you, Bree."

I'm starting to get nervous. What if something goes wrong? I can't hurt Chase like this. This was a bad idea. I should just fight Troy. Maybe it won't be too bad. Maybe it will be okay. I might survive. Just Maybe. "Bree, we're waiting." says Gao, obviously impatient.

"I-I don't know. I-I want to go a-ahead with-" I begin.

As I speak, Chase yells out, "Wait! I'll do it!"

"Chase, no! It's too dangerous!" I exclaim, going to the glass shield as the guards let him out of the viewing box.

"I won't let you die for this, Bree. I'm coming."he replies, his voice solid and unwavering.

I know there is no changing his mind. I can't stop him. He walks up the stairs and opens the door. "Well, a volunteer. How sweet. Go on, Troy. You are done here. Chase will finish up for you." says Gao.

Troy does nothing. He just stands there. Chase walks up and stands in front of me, face to face with Troy. "Get. Out!" he growls at a level to match Spike's.

If I didn't know better, I would it _was_ Spike standing in front of me. Troy's eyes widen, suddenly afraid of this new side of Chase, one he hadn't seen before. He hurries out of the arena, leaving Chase and I standing there together. He turns to face me. His eyes hold so many emotions, some unreadable. "Are you ready?" he asks softly, so only I can hear.

I look him in the eye. I am most definitely not ready. There is no chance of escape now. This is really happening. I push aside my feelings and doubts and worries for the moment. I nod slowly. He takes my hand in his. Dr. Gao comes over the loudspeaker once more. "So, shall we begin?"


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Here is an early one since I missed two weeks ago. It would have been done earlier, but I wanted it to be really good and it's also really long so here it is, guys! Thanks for waiting. Enjoy! :)

Bree's P.O.V.

We get into our fighting stances and prepare to fight. It will be a fake fight, I know, but we want it to look pretty real. I deliver to first punch. It hits him in the stomach. He winces in pretend pain and kicks high. I grab his leg and throw him down. I hold him down for a minute. "I'm scared," I whisper while we're down.

He gives me a knowing look. "Me too. But it will be alright. I promise I won't let this come between us." he replies.

"I promise too, " I say as he grabs my arms and switches our positions.

"Are you prepared? Do you have everything?" he asks.

"Yes. I'm ready. But I just don't know if I can do this. What if-" I begin.

"Don't. Everything will be fine. You have me. You are safe." he says gently.

I kick him off of me and stand up again. "You had better use your bionics. They might think something's up." I whisper.

"I might hurt you!" he whispers, looking concerned.

"You won't have to really hurt me. Just pretend." I reply, dodging a punch.

"Fine." he grumbles, taking our his laser bow.

He twirls it and I dodge just like when we are practising. I miscalculate his move, though, and it hits my leg, sending me to the ground. He rushes to me and kneels down. "Oh! I'm sorry! I knew this was a bad idea!" he exclaims.

"Get up!" I say through my teeth, "Before they find us out."

He quickly stands to his feet. "Are you really hurt?" he asks as I stand up.

"No, I'm alright. Just keep going!" I reply, wincing just a bit.

He punches again, and this time, it connects with my arm. I kick at his chest and he catches my leg. I manage to get out of his grip, though, and we continue. I deliver several blows to his stomach and chest, being careful not to hurt him badly. He backs away from me a little. I can tell he's planning his next move. He slides on the ground, sweeping his leg across the floor so that it connects with my legs and I'm thrown off balance. He catches me easily before I quite hit the ground. I feel almost safe again in that moment. "Are we really going to do this?" he asks, becoming unsure of himself.

"We have to. It's okay. You will do fine. I trust you, Chase." I reply, twisting out of his grip.

I roll away from him and he stands up. I remain on the ground, pinned by his hands on my shoulders. He's standing over me now. It's time. This is really happening. Oh wow. I'm not sure I can really do this. I'm not ready. I... My thought is cut off by Chase calling out, "Hey! Do we get a timeout or something? I think I need a minute."

"Chase! What are you doing?" I whisper, sitting up.

"Trying to buy us a little more time." he replies, his tone matching my own.

Gao looks at us from the control room. He is thinking, I decide. maybe he will let us have a timeout. "Very well. You have two minutes," he says.

I smile at Chase and he smiles back. A curtain draws around the glass walls of the arena. It's black, or maybe a dark purple or green. When the curtain is completely closed, he speaks. "Okay, now, we only have a few minutes, so we should start planning out what we should-"

I cut him off, grabbing his arm so that he faces me. "Chase, I don't want to spend these last few moments trying to figure things out. I just want to be with you for a few more seconds before everything changes."

He nods. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry."

"Chase, would you, I mean, do you think you could, well, would you hug me one last time before everything?" I ask hesitantly.

"Of course." he replies softly, "This will be the last time for awhile. Promise me you won't let this break us apart. Promise me that."

"I promise. When you get back, nothing will be different. We will still be us and we will still be best friends and we will still love each other, even if what happens changes us a bit." I reply, pulling him into a hug.

It's a good hug. I don't want to let go because I know what will happen if I do. I know it will be the end. The curtain begins to open and he pulls away. I know it's time. He looks e in the eye again and whispers, "It's just you and me. Don't worry about anything else."

I nod and take in a deep breath. It's time. "I hope you enjoyed your break. Now, get on with the ceremony. I really don't want to be here all day." says Gao.

We both sit on the ground and look at each other. He seems nervous. I am too, but I know this has to be done. I lie down, pulling his arm so that he comes closer. "You can do it. I trust you." I whisper.

He swallows hard and climbs over me. Here we go...

Everything is in place. Everything will work out just fine. I know the plan will work as long as I stay calm. The only thing is, I'm still a bit scared. Just before the 'grand finale', I stop. "Wait! I exclaim in a hoarse whisper.

He stops everything and looks at me with concern written all over his face. "What's wrong? Did something happen? Did I hurt you?" He asks.

"No, I'm fine. I just, I'm scared." I say, my voice quivering more than I want it to.

"It's okay. You trust me, don't you? You know that I love you? Okay, good. I won't hurt you. I promise. You will be okay. Look, just scream like you're dying when I say, alright? You are doing great. You will be fine." he says, reassuring me.

I take a deep breath and nod. "One, two, three, now!" he whispers.

I let out my most pained scream and he has to cover his ears. I quickly fix my clothes and he sits up. "Stay down. I'll carry you out. Make sure you remember to look like you are in pain." he says.

I nod and he begins to pick me up. "Wait, just a moment. When we get up, I will leave and you will have to stay here. Just let me spend another moment with you." I say, pulling us back to the ground.

"We have to hurry before they become suspicious." he replies, looking nervously over his shoulder.

"I know. But you will be gone for at least a week. I will miss you." I say.

He turns to look at me again. "I will miss you too. But it's only for a little while. Soon we will be back together again; better than ever."

And I know we will. I just don't want anything to change during those days apart. I hope this is over soon!


	26. Chapter 26

Adam's P.O.V.

I watch as my baby siblings fight in the arena. Sometimes I think maybe one has really hurt the other, but then I see them get right back up again. I know they will be okay. I close my eyes when it's almost time. I don't want to look. But then I hear Chase call out. I open my eyes to see what is going on. He asks for a timeout. He wants to assure Bree that everything will be okay. Surprisingly, Gao allows him two minutes. The curtains close around the arena and everyone is silent. It's not because we want to hear their conversation, it's just that no one knows what to say right now. I decide to break the silence by making a funny comment. "Hey, do you think we could stop and get some ice cream after this, Mr. Davenport?' I ask, trying to ease the tension.

"What? No, Adam! We are going straight home. Do you know how worried Tasha must be right now? When we found out that you and Chase were missing, she thought you had been taken as well. We said we would find you guys and bring everyone home safe and sound. Now we have been gone for hours with no contact with her. She is probably going crazy right now, worrying about all of us. Your brother and sister are about to go up there and go through some ridiculous ceremony conducted by a mad man! They could be caught and we could all be punished for it. But all you can think about is ice cream! Adam, when are you going to grow up?!" he yells, pacing around the room as he speaks.

My face falls. I know he is stressed and worried. I know he just wants us all to be safe. I just think he could calm down for a minute and realize what he says can hurt people. "I-I just wanted to lighten the mood a little. I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm worried too." I explain quietly.

Leo comes up to me and lays his hand on my shoulder. "It's not your fault. We're all a bit on edge right now because of this whole thing."

I turn and smile at him. He's a good brother. He always has been. "Thanks, Leo." I say.

He is about to speak again when he notices the curtains begin to open around the arena. "It's starting. For real this time." he whispers in a nervous voice.

I rub my hands together in an attempt to stop my body's shaking. I nod. "I know." I say grimly.

I see them again. They look so brave. So strong. This won't break them. Nothing can. He's hovering over her now. I see their lips moving, but I can't hear what they are saying. As they go on, it seems like the roles have been reversed. Chase was the nervous one before, and Bree calmed him. But now it seems like Bree is scared and Chase is calming her. I watch as she freezes when Chase unzips his mission suit. She shivers even though she is wearing long sleeves, and it is pretty warm in the, well, lair, I guess. Poor Bree. Poor Chase too. I turn away for the next part. I know what will happen. Leo taps my arm and I turn to look at him. "It's kinda weird seeing our sister kiss our brother, isn't it?" he says, a strange expression on his face.

I look at the arena to see my siblings kissing lightly. So lightly that it is barely even a kiss at all. But I know this is what Bree wants. I wish she could have had her first kiss any other way but this. But at least she knows he loves her. "Yeah, but this isn't the worst part. I wish I could do something! I can't stand just sitting here like this!" I say, almost punching the wall before Leo's arm stops me.

"We don't need to make this situation any worse than it already is." he says.

I nod. He is right. I don't want any of my family to be hurt because of my actions. "I know how you feel, though. I hate this!" he says with a sharpness in his voice.

I look back to my brother and sister. They have stopped kissing and are now talking again. I can't quite hear what they are saying, but I pick up, "Fine.. Scared...Okay... Trust...Love you...Hurt... Promise..."

I can't really tell who said what, but I think it's almost time. They are in position for the 'grande finale' now. I don't want to see this, but I can't tear my eyes away. I need to know what happens. I'm her big brother. It will be my job when we get home to make sure she comes out of this okay. I have to know. I can't see the hidden cloth, and I don't think anyone else can either. Which is good. If someone were to see that... We would be in big trouble. She screams. I sounds so pained that for a minute there I think it's real. There is suddenly red all over both of them. I know it's the fake blood from the vile, but it looks so real. I think I might be sick. He quickly moves away from her when she has fixed her clothes and moves to fix his own. They sit there for a minute. He carries her down the stairs and into the open area in the front. Gao has already made his way from his viewing box to the open area and is there to greet them when they get there. The door to our viewing box, actually, to our prison, opens and we rush out to our family. After a final hug, Chase passes Bree to me and I hold her, still giving the illusion that she is hurt. The fake blood on the side of her jeans is really gross though. When we are all together, Marcus comes up and grabs Chase, holding him captive and unable to fight. I almost lunge at him, but since I'm holding Bree, I can't. "I will now take my payment for letting you all go. Chase will be returned to you at some point in the future. A few weeks, probably. Perhaps a month." Gao says casually.

"A month!? You said a week!" exclaims Bree.

I have to hold her down to keep her from jumping up and running over there. "I said at least a week, dear." Gao explains, smiling a sinister smile.

Mr. Davenport steps up and says, "Wait! You've had my son and daughter for two weeks already. Now you want another son for a month? If, if I come too, would you let us go in two weeks?" he asks, a tired look on his face.

Gao seems to consider this. "Yes, that seems like a good deal. Two weeks and both of you can go." he says.

The rest of us protest. "No! You can't do this!" We need you!" "I haven't seen you in weeks! You can't just go and-" we all say.

"My son needs me now. I have to do this. You will all be fine." he says, silencing us all.

We couldn't stop Chase from sacrificing himself, and we can't stop Mr. Davenport from doing the same for the people he loves. My father and brother are both awesome. I hope I'm as brave and strong and courageous as them someday.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Sorry this is late! I didn't have access to a computer all last week. So here is what is going to happen. There are 3 more chapters after this one. After that, I will take a break so that I can write the second part of this story: Scattered Ash. I have about 20 chapters planned out for that one. I may do more after that, but I'm not sure. That will come out sometime this fall. I also have to write the prequel to my Elite Force story, A Little Too Late. Both of them will be out in the fall sometime. Also, I really want to get 45 reviews by the time this story is over. It shouldn't be too hard, that is onlyu 5 more. So please continue to read and review and remember, I love you guys! :):)

Leo's P.O.V.

I nod my head in understanding. I would do the same for any of my family. "Just, be safe, okay? Be careful in there." says Bree from where she lies in Adam's arms.

"I love you guys. All of you. I'll see you soon." he replies.

We hug him and stand there together for a moment. It might be awhile before we are all together again, and we want to savor every moment. Eventually, Douglas peels us off of him and we start walking away. I look back one last time at the man who has become a Father, mentor, and friend to me. No matter how egotistical he may be, he is still the best dad in the world. I'm going to miss him. Then there is Chase. He's standing beside Big D now, watching us walk away. He is staying so Bree and I can walk away free. He looks absolutely broken hearted. I think he is realizing what has happened today. Dr. Gao has won this battle. He won't win any more. I'll make sure of it. I never want to see my family hurt like this again. I will never let my family be hurt like this again by him or anyone.

I notice Adam stop walking and turn around. I stop as well to see what he is doing. I look back to Chase. His face has brightened and he looks like a strong warrior, tired from battle, but still strong enough to kill twenty men with one hit. He smiles softly at her. i know she is smiling too. I can almost hear her telling him that it will be alright, like she always does when he gets worried. I can almost hear him assure her that he will come back soon, and in one piece, like he always does when he goes on a mission without her. She whispers something to Adam and he turns around and starts walking again, his face holding some strange, unreadable emotion. It looks like love and pain and fear and everything all together at once. Sebastian comes up behind them and I rush up to hear what he is saying. "I will take care of this. I will get him home to you. Both of them will come back safe and sound and without a scratch, if I have anything to do with it." he says reassuringly.

Bree nods. "Thanks. Sebastian, I'm really sorry. I know I haven't been too nice to you since you came back, but I was nervous that you would turn against me. I wanted to make sure you were really on our side. Now I know you are really for us. So thank you for everything. Really, I couldn't have made it out without your help."

"It's okay. I know you don't love me the way I wish you would. I love you anyway. I am going to do everything I can to get your family back to you. I will do whatever it takes." he replies, a pained expression on his face.

Before she can say anything, a voice is heard over the speakers. "Sebastian, please report to the head office. Dr. Gao wishes to have a word with you. And by word, I mean, _he knows._ Hurry up or you will certainly meet your demise in the very spot you are standing. And you wouldn't want anything to happen to poor Bree and her little family now, would you?"

"What does he know? How could he have-" begins Bree.

"Shhh! There are cameras all around! Don't say a word! I don't know what he means or how he found out about anything. Please, just leave quickly. The barricades are probably already coming down. Quick! Get out of here! I promise you they will both be safe, but you won't be if you don't leave now!" he says in a panicked voice.

I'm getting really worried. What if Gao found out about the entire plan? What if he wants to keep us here? What if he hurts us? Or Chase? Or Big D? Or even Sebastian for being a traitor? Adam runs as fast as he can with Bree in his arms. I've never been a very fast runner, but my feet are moving pretty fast. I pass Douglas and Adam and Bree and run as fast as I can toward the tunnel. I place the shell in the indention in the wall, but nothing happens. I start to panic a bit. "Oh no! We're trapped! We're going to die!" I exclaim, turning around to see that the others have finally caught up with me.

"We are not going to die, Leo. Here, let me try it." says Douglas.

When he places the shell in the indention, the screen lights up and shows a video feed from another room inside the lair. The person on the screen is Gao. "Well, Hello, my friends. I would like to share with you today what happens when someone betrays me. You all may walk free, but this barnacle will never walk again." he says, turning the screen to show Sebastian, tied up, with his bionic chip sitting on a table beside him.

Dr. Gao presses a button and Sebastian screams. Bree yelps when she hears it and I see her swallow hard. He pulls a lever and Sebastian's screaming becomes even louder and more pain filled. Gao presses a few more buttons. I feel like my ears are going to burst from the intensity of the screams. I look at Bree. She has her eyes squeezed shut and her hands over her ears. Suddenly, there is silence. I look at the screen and see Sebastian, limp in his chair. Bree lets out a cry. "No!"

She covers her face with her hands. Adam tries to comfort her, but even he knows that he can't fix this. She may not have loved him, but I know she appreciated him and she did care for him once. It was a childish love, but she once loved him nevertheless. The door opens to the tunnel and we walk out. The Davenport submarine is waiting right outside the tunnel and we climb inside. Now begins the long journey home.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: AI'm sorry this is so late! I've been on vacation! Bonus chapter for the 40 reviews will be done soon and then the final chapter soon after that! Then, only a few more months until the sequel! :)

Bree's P.O.V.

I can't believe he's really gone. He helped me and he loved me and now he's gone. They killed him for protecting me. It's my fault. I know he has done some horrible things, but he was good at the end. He protected me. He loved me. I can't believe he's gone. I may not have loved him, but I did care for him and I didn't want him to get hurt. And now Chase and Mr. Davenport won't have any protection. They are on their own. What if Gao hurts them? What if he does something terrible? That would be my fault too. Chase sacrificed himself to save me, and Mr. Davenport sacrificed himself to save Chase. But now they have no weapons, nothing to protect them. No one to save them. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to them. I lean my head against Adam's shoulder. He looks at me, his face full of love and pain. I must look hurt and sad. I guess I am. There are so many feelings swirling inside me right now. I'm scared and angry and just everything all at once. And maybe, in a subconscious sort of way, I'm glad for the distractions. Without them, I would be focusing on my own pain. I would be able to focus on what has happened to me. Maybe all of this happening is a way of helping me forget about my hurt and pain. I feel a wetness on my face. I frown because I don't think I'm crying. I look up to see my big brother's chest heaving with silent sobs. His eyes are filled with tears and I know they are for me and Chase and Mr. davenport. Some, I think, are even for Sebastian. "Sorry." he mutters.

I smile. "Hey, it's okay. We are going to be okay, Adam. We are going to come out of this stronger than ever before. Gao can't beat us. He won't win. We are stronger than anything he can throw at us. We may not all be related, but we are a family. We love each other. And no matter what he does, he can't change that."

"I know. I'm just really scared for Chase and Mr. Davenport. What if they get really hurt? What if Gao hurts them and they don't make it out? And you, Bree. My baby sister went out there like a warrior today. You fought well and you walked out of there without so much as a stratch. But I wonder what it will be like when we get home. When Chase and Mr. davenport get back and things start to settle down. I said before this would change everything. You and Chase promised it wouldn't, but some things will change. What will happen with us when all the distractions fade away and we are left with only ourselves and the mess we've made? Will we be able to pick up the pieces? Or will we stay broken; like Shattered Glass." he says.

Adam always surprises us with his depth. Most of the time he's a crazy, goofy kid. But when it matters most, he is there for his family. He knows what is true. "We will be okay, Adam. We'll pull ourselves together and get on with our lives. This will change us. But it will not define us." I say, sitting up in my seat.

We are driving home now. The submarine took us all the way back to the beach and we are now riding in the Davenport limo back to Tasha. It's been a long trip. Leo is exhausted from staying up all night for nearly two weeks. He is sleeping soundly. And snoring. Douglas is trying to put on a brave face and not let it show how much he misses his brother. Adam stayed right beside me after we escaped. I think he knows how weak I really feel after today. I might have won, but I still feel like I lost. He is hurting too, I can tell. He lost his dad. I mean, he is like a dad to me too, but I think Adam has had a deeper connection with him ever since he found out that he was his biological son. Then his brother was taken from him after he had already lost so much. He wasn't able to protect the one little brother and sister, and now he can't even save his other baby brother. He probably feels worthless. I feel bad for him. I wish there was something I could do to make him feel better. But I have no idea how to help him. I'm hurting too. "Bree, I need to call Tasha and let her know what happened. Would you wake up Leo so she can talk to him?" asks Douglas.

I can tell he is on the verge of tears himself. I nod and shake Leo's shoulder. "Wake up, Leo. You can sleep when we get home. We're going to call Tasha."

He slowly opens his eyes and yawns. "Okay, but don't tell her I haven't slept in two weeks. She'll ground me for not taking care of myself."

I roll my eyes. "Leo, you were taking care of me. She won't ground you for being a hero."

"Have you met her? Just, don't say anything. Besides, it wasn't all me." he says solemnly.

He's right. He's not the only one who saved me night after night in that place. There was another person watching out for me. Tears come to my eyes as I remember the first day there. Some of the guards found out I was there and wanted to come check out the new prisoner. Inspecting the goods, I think they said. Sebastian told them it wasn't worth it. He convinced them to leave me alone. Sebastian saved my life many times while I was there. I owe him my life. But I can't give him anything in return because now he's gone. He's dead. I hug Leo and bite my lip. Somehow, I will repay him. I will find a way.


	29. Chapter 29

Tasha's P.O.V.

They've been gone a long time now. I'm getting really worried. What if something terrible has happened to them? Adam and Chase went missing last night. Donald told me not to worry, but I can't help it. My Leo has been gone for almost three weeks, and Bree has been gone for two. I don't know what I would do if any of them got seriously hurt. Donald and Douglas left to find them early this morning. I thought they would be back by now. I'm getting really scared. I couldn't handle it if they don't come home. I don't know what I would do with myself. The phone rings and I hesitate. It might be Donald calling to tell me that everyone is safe and sound and they are on their way home, but it it not his number. Someone else is calling. At first, I decide not to answer. I don't feel like talking to anyone. Really, I don't think I can talk to anyone today without crying. Then I would have to explain myself and that would just turn into a huge mess. But, maybe I should answer. Perhaps Donald lost his phone and he is calling from a different one. The phone keeps ringing and I decide to pick it up. If it's not Donald, I will just quickly make an excuse and hang up. "Hello? Who is this?" I ask.

"Tasha, it's Douglas." he replies.

Okay, so maybe it's not Donald, but at least this means they are safe. Right? "Douglas! Oh thank goodness! I was so worried! Are you all on your way back? Are you safe? Where's Donald? Let me talk to him." I say, my mouth moving almost as fast as Bree's feet.

"Tasha," he begins, his voice sounding sad and disappointed, "We got Bree and Leo. They are okay. Well, I mean, if, I'll explain when we get there. Adam is here with us too. But, Tasha, Donny and Chase had to stay behind."

"What?! How could you let them do that? We didn't accomplish anything! We just traded two for the other two!" I exclaim.

How could this have happened? "Please, you have to listen to me. There were some... complications. We didn't expect to have to do this. They will be released in about a week but until then we can try to figure out a way to get them out of there even sooner. Don't panic. We had to do it. It was the only way." he explains.

"I don't understand. How was it the only way? Don't you have weapons and bionics to help you out?" I ask incredulously.

"No. We didn't have any of that. The place we were in neutralized all weapons; including bionics. We had nothing. Chase saved Bree. He was quite the hero today. And Donny saved Chase by staying with him to make sure they don't hurt him. And then there's Leo. Leo here kept Bree safe for two weeks while they were here. You should be really proud of him. We are safe and we are on our way home." he says trying to make me feel better.

"How long will it be? I've really missed all of you, but Leo and Bree especially. They have been gone for so long!" I say, my heart longing to see my children again.

"Just a few more minutes. Would you like to talk to Leo?" he asks.

It's the perfect thing to say. "Of course!" I exclaim, happy to get to hear my son's voice after so long.

I hear voices in the background. "Leo! Wake up! Your mom is on the phone!"

"You gotta talk to her. She's been worried sick!"

"I know you are tired, but man up and take the phone!"

That was Douglas and Adam. "Hi, mom." says a groggy voice.

"Oh, Leo! Honey are you alright? Did they hurt you? Oh I'm so glad you are safe!" I exclaim upon hearing his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine, mom. Nobody hurt me. I'm all good." he replies.

"Good, good! When you get home you should get lots of rest so that you don't get sick. How have you been feeling? Have you taken care of yourself there?"

"Yes. As well as I could. I am ready to get home and sleep, though." he says, sounding very tired.

"Yes, you must be exhausted! Poor thing! Well, don't worry. I will make dinner for you all and have it all ready by the time you get home!" I say, already heading toward the kitchen.

"No, it's okay. Really, we are just fine." he says.

Yeah right. "No no, it's okay. It's no trouble at all. What do you want? Would you like lasagna or steaks or-"

"Mom, it's fine. Whatever you want to make." he says, cutting me off.

"Oh, okay. That's fine. Well, do you know how long it will be?" I ask.

"Douglas says about ten minutes." he replies.

"Alright. I will have it all done when you get home. Oh and you will all need fresh clothes! I will start on that too. And then-"

"Mom, you can slow down. We are okay. You don't have to pamper us. Trust me. Here, I'm going to let Bree talk to you now." he cuts me off again.

I hear crying in the background. "She just needs her mom!" I hear Adam shout.

"Here! Let her talk to her!" exclaims Leo.

I hear some cluttering and then Bree's voice on the other end of the line, raw and broken. "Hi." she says.

"Bree, honey, what's wrong?" I ask, my motherly instincts turning on.

"Tasha, They killed Sebastian. He helped me. He loved me. And then they killed him right in front of me." she says.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry!"

My heart hurts for her. "Troy was there too. It was horrible. He was going to be the one to hurt me. But Chase stepped in and he-he saved me but, I still feel like I lost. I feel like it's over." she cries at the end, her voice breaking up.

"Oh, sweety! I'm so sorry! I wish I could make it better! When you get home we can go up into the sewing room and have a cup pf tea and talk and I'll listen to you. Does that sound alright?" I ask, putting the tea on.

"Yeah. Thanks, Tasha. Really. Thank you." she says, sounding a bit more calm.

"It's no problem, honey. Just hurry home." I reply.

She hangs up and I stand there for a moment. My poor Bree. My little girl. I hope we can make it out of this mess. Because if I'm right, there are going to be a lot of broken hearts before this is over.


	30. Chapter 30- The Final Chapter :(:(

A/N: Guys, I just want to say thank you so very much for all of your support! I am so grateful for every review and view. I reached my goal of 45 reviews, and even had one extra so far so thank you so much! I am so glad you all have enjoyed this story and I hope you continue to read my stories in the future. Speaking of which, the sequel to this story, Scattered Ash will be coming sometime this fall. I want to get most of it written before I start updating so that I won't be late. :) I am also working on the prequel for my Elite Force story called A Little Too Slow. If you are so inclined, feel free to check out A Little Too Late on the Elite Force page. I am looking forward to hearing your reactions for the next story as well and I'm super excited to write it. I will have a preview out soon! Thank you guys again! I love you all to pieces! :):):)

One Week Later...

Bree's P.O.V.

We haven't been able to get to Chase and Mr. Davenport yet. We can't even talk to them. I'm really worried for them. I just want them to come home safe and unharmed. But Gao is crazy and he was really mad when he found out about the plan to save me. I wouldn't be surprised if he did something terrible to both of them. We have been trying all week to contact them. So far, nothing. Some of the students are still helping with that disaster over in Africa, but the others have come back to help us rescue them. It is going to be pretty hard, though, since Gao beefed up his security since we were there last time. The students are working hard, trying to build a tunnel so we can ambush them. Gao's men keep taking the tunnel apart at night when the students go to bed. We have put guards there, but they just keep getting knocked out and taken prisoner. Apparently we should have trained them to fight under water too. We aren't making a whole lot of progress with that project. Douglas is trying to contact them, but it's hard without Sebastian to help us. We have no way of getting messages to them. We've tried using our bionics to reach them, but Chase's bionics have been shut down. It's not hard to feel hopeless right now. It feels like we are never going to get them back. But I need them back. Chase and I have to talk. We need to figure out what is going to happen with us. I need Mr. Davenport here too. Even though he is egotistical and annoying, he will always be a dad to me. I miss them both.

I talked to Tasha a bit when we got back about what happened. It was hard to talk about and it felt weird to say those things. But I felt a lot better after talking to her. I think I might actually make it out of this okay. She told me how she wishes she could make it better. She reminded me how much she and the rest of our family loves me, and she told me that if I ever needed to talk to her, that she was there for me. It made me feel so loved. It was like, for the first time, I really have a mom to love me and take care of me. And it means the world to me. Adam and Leo replaced my bracelet and we had a small party. Of course, we didn't really feel like celebrating, but they promised to have an even better party when Chase and Mr. Davenport get back. My birthday didn't go at all like I planned, but at least I know my family loves me. And when we are all back together again, we will really have something to celebrate.

I think maybe we can get through was right when he said that we are now like pieces of shattered glass. But I think we can do it. No, I know we can pull each back together and become a family again. We will survive. We won't let this define us. That is the difference between a victim and a survivor. Things change us. We can't help it sometimes. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. But victims let it define them. They let what happens to them control them. Survivors pick themselves up and keep going. They let what happened change them, but, in the end, it ends up changing them for the better. I am determined to be a survivor. I won't let what has happened define me. I am going to keep living, loving, and learning with the help of my family. I am not defined by what others do to me. I am defined by who I make myself to be. By my actions, and no one else's.

Right now I'm in the lab, trying to look at the surveillance videos from the underwater lair. It's hard to see what is going on and the guards keep finding our cameras and destroying them. I'm distracted by Douglas coming into the lab with Leo trailing closely behind. "Bree, we've made contact!" he says excitedly.

I jump up from my seat and ask what was said. "Not much. It was hard to understand. But they said they were getting out soon! Isn't that great?" he exclaims

"Yes! That's awesome! I miss them so much! Were you able to connect to that line again?" I ask.

"No, it was shut down right after the call. How is the surveillance going?" He asks, coming to the supercomputer and looking at the live feed.

Nothing seems to be happening. Tasha enters the lab with a tray full of sandwiches. "I figured you guys might be hungry with you working so hard. Have you found anything yet?" she asks.

She looks at the screen, but I can tell she isn't sure how it works or really what we are looking at. "We established contact and they said they should be released soon" explains Douglas.

"Oh, that is wonderful! I have missed them so much! Do you think they will get home today?" she asks.

"Probably not. As far as we can tell, the lair is still on full lock down. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything else." he replies.

"Oh, all right. Wait, what is that blinking light over there in the corner?" she asks, pointing to the surveillance screen.

There is a little red blinking dot on the building. I hadn't noticed it before, which is strange because it's pretty obvious. "I didn't see that there." I reply, trying to figure out how I could have missed it.

"I didn't see it either." says Leo.

"I wonder what it could be." remarks Douglas.

Before we can stare at it any longer, Adam comes in making all sorts of racket. He is carrying a box full of who knows what. "Adam, what are you doing? Keep your junk upstairs!" I say as he places the box in my capsule.

"But your capsule is the biggest! And I don't have enough room in mine for all of my stuff. And I've already filled up the entire junk closet!" he whines.

"Whatever, just keep it out of my capsule." I reply, annoyed.

"But I just wanted to-" he begins.

His complaint is cut off by a loud alarm ringing. I look around, but our emergency lights aren't flashing. My eyes scan the room and land on the surveillance feed. The alarm is coming from the lair. "Guys! It's not in here! It's on the video!" I yell above the noise.

"What? But, how?" answers Douglas, trying to see what I'm talking about.

We all look at the video feed for a moment before we are thrown to the floor. Well, more like we all fall down out of shock. The lair just exploded. It just exploded into little bits and pieces. There is no way anyone could survive that. Even if they did survive the explosion, without oxygen masks, they would never make it to the surface. I close my eyes as I realize the brutal truth: Chase and Mr. Davenport are dead. I hear crying and screaming. I realize that one of the voices is my own. They can't be dead. But they have to be.


End file.
